Pitney Bowes Inc.

Harbor Wing Technologies, Inc.

Monarch Marking Systems, Inc.

David W Hubbard

Morton Silverberg

Donald T Dolan

Robert A Cordery

Robert T Durst, Jr

Mark T Ott

Ronald P Sansone

Steven A Supron

John C Hamma

Charles F Murphy, Iii

Joseph L Gargiulo

Walter Wolog

Paul H Hamisch, Jr

John R Nobile

William Berson

Joseph H Marzullo

Kevin D Hunter

Jeffrey D Pierce

Sungwon R Moh

Michael A Brown

Wallace Kirschner

Christian A Beck

Samuel W Martin

Walter J Baker

Carl A Miller

Irena Makarchuk

Steven M Kaye

Leo L Wologodzew

Antonio S Cruz-Uribe

Franklin J Buckley

David E Kayser

William F Bailey

Christopher S Riello

Fran E Blackman

Frank E Seestrom

Arthur Rubinstein

Michael D O'Hare

Patrick M Brand

William V Pickering, Jr

John T Balga, Jr

Martyn R House

William G Hart

Scott Korowotny

Edward J Twarog

Alfreds Orlens

Glen J Randmer

Gopalan Raman

James R Ralph

Susan E Perrin

Wendy F Jai

Joseph R Kocot

A steerable wing-type sail system for a wind powered craft. The system includes first and second secondary airfoils and that are spaced outwardly to the sides of the plane of the main sail, and that are positioned rearwardly of the trailing edge of the sail. The secondary airfoils are selectively pivotable so as to steer the main sail in one direction or the other. The main sail is also provided with a pivoting flap at its trailing edge, which pivots simultaneously with and in the same direction as the secondary airfoils. The secondary airfoils are carried on elongate horizontal booms mounted near the mid-span height of the main sail. The secondary airfoils pivot about vertical axes at the distal ends of the booms, and are operated by control cables that are retracted and paid out by linear actuators or similar mechanisms. The craft may be multi-hull vessel, such as a catamaran. The control mechanism for the secondary airfoils may operate the airfoils in response to signals received from one or more onboard sensors. The system is suitable for use on an autonomous unmanned surface vessel (AUSV).

Apparatus for control of pivoting wing-type sail

A steerable wing-type sail system for a wind powered craft. The system includes first and second secondary airfoils and that are spaced outwardly to the sides of the plane of the main wing, and that are positioned rearwardly of the trailing edge of the wing. The secondary airfoils are selectively pivotable so as to steer the main wing in one direction or the other. The main wing is also provided with a pivoting flap at its trailing edge, which pivots simultaneously with and in the same direction as the secondary airfoils. The secondary airfoils are carried on elongate horizontal booms mounted near the mid-span height of the main wing. The secondary airfoils pivot about vertical axes at the distal ends of the booms, and are operated by control cables that are retracted and paid out by linear actuators or similar mechanisms. The craft may be multi-hull vessel, such as a catamaran. The control mechanism for the secondary airfoils may operate the airfoils in response to signals received from one or more onboard sensors. The system is suitable for use on an autonomous unmanned surface vessel (AUSV).

A printing apparatus is disclosed which has various operating components, and which includes a single sensing means for sensing certain operational characteristics of the operating components to monitor the operational status thereof for the purpose of either providing an operator perceptible indication that a certain operational characteristic of one of the operating components is not in a condition for normal operation of the printing apparatus. The single sensing means includes a photo detecting means mounted on the inside surface of the cover of a housing for the operating characteristics of the printing apparatus, and an actuating means mounted on an ink cartridge which is mounted on and movable with a moving print head, such that the sensing means can provided an ink dication of whether the cover is open or closed, whether the ink cartridge is present or absent, whether the print head is in a proper position for commencing a normal cycle of operation, and in one variation of an alternate embodiment of the invention, whether there is sufficient ink in the ink cartridge for normal operation of the printing apparatus, and in another variation thereof, how much ink is in the ink cartridge at all times between full and insufficient for normal operation of the printing apparatus.

Multi function sensing device for printing apparatus

A method for printing a postal indicia on a mailpiece includes moving a printing mechanism and the mailpiece relative to each other during a plurality of passes; and printing with the printing mechanism at least a corresponding portion of the postal indicia during each of the plurality of passes, each of the corresponding portions being in overlapped relationship to the other corresponding portions so that the combined effect of the corresponding overlapped portions is a postal indicia which is detectable by a facer/canceler machine as a valid postal indicia. Furthermore, during no more than one of the plurality of passes is its corresponding portion of the postal indicia detectable by the facer/canceler machine as the valid postal indicia. An apparatus incorporates the above method.

Method and apparatus for securely printing a machine detectable postal

A method for printing an enhanced postal indicia image on a mailpiece utilizing a postage meter having a printing mechanism including a plurality of nozzles that deposit an ink in a dot-matrix pattern includes moving the printing mechanism and the mailpiece relative to each other over a first swath area on the mailpiece; selectively energizing the nozzles during step A) thereby printing a dot-matrix pattern of a postal indicia within the first swath area; moving the printing mechanism and the mailpiece relative to each other over a second swath area on the mailpiece, the second swath area in overlapping relationship with the first swath area; and selectively energizing the nozzles during step C) for printing a dot-matrix pattern of selected portions of the postal indicia which is complimentary to the dot-matrix pattern of the postal indicia such that a dot-matrix pattern of the enhanced postal indicia is produced by a combination of the dot-matrix pattern of the postal indicia and the dot-matrix pattern of selected portions of the postal indicia.

Method and apparatus for securely printing an indicia image in multiple

In an envelope stacker, a pusher mechanism continuously applies a force to the envelope flap for sealing the envelope. The stacker is comprised of a horizontal deck, a rear wall, and a plate for supporting a stack of envelopes. Upon receiving an envelope, a pusher advances the envelope towards the stack of envelopes while applying a continuous force to the flap and rear panel of the envelope.

Envelope stacker

Apparatus for opening an envelope having a front panel, a back panel and a closing flap. The apparatus includes: a device for supporting the envelope in a substantially horizontal plane wherein the back panel is situated above the front panel; a device for holding the closing flap below the back panel; an opening horn for separating the back panel from the front panel, the opening horn being pivotable in a vertical plane; and a device for causing the horn to initially contact the closing flap and to pivot the horn into the envelope between the front and back panels, and to raise the horn inside the envelope, whereby the front and back panels are separated.

Opening fingers for envelope inserting apparatus

An interlock mechanism is provided for a document handler having a pair of drawers for storing documents to prevent the simultaneous extension of more than one of the drawers. The drawer interlock apparatus comprises a frame and a longitudinal rail mounted to a side wall of each drawer. Each rail has a pair of substantially L-shaped stops and a locating notch positioned between the stops. A locking mechanism is pivotally mounted to the frame. The locking mechanism is slideably engaged with the rail of each drawer for preventing the simultaneous extension of the multiple drawers. Each drawer also has link mechanisms for adjusting drawer alignment to meet document registration requirements.

Drawer interlock apparatus

An apparatus and method for deskewing sheets as they are transported along a path. An intake roller assembly and an urged roller assembly are positioned along the path. The urge roller assembly bears upon a sheet with a forced selected so that the urge roller will slip if the sheet is blocked before the sheet is damaged. A rotatable element having a pair of stop elements in an upstream and a pair of deflecting elements at a downstream end is pivotable mounted beneath the path and rotates in a plane normal to the path, and is bias so that the deflecting elements intersect the path and the stop element are clear from the path. When the intake roller assembly drives a sheet against the deflecting elements the rotatable element rotates as the sheet rides over the deflecting element so that the stop elements intersect the path. If the sheet is skewed, that is if one edge is advanced, that edge will encounter the stop elements first. The urge roller assembly will then slip on the advanced side of the sheet while driving the other side forward until the sheet is deskewed. As the sheet is deskewed the deflecting elements are cleared and the rotatable element rotates to remove the stop elements from the path and the deskewed sheet continues for further processing. A pair of parallel guide plates are provided above and below the path to guide the sheet and increase its effective stiffness.

Apparatus and method for deskewing sheets

A postal finishing kiosk in which a user is provided with a mail piece, such as a postcard. The user supplies the name and address to which the mail piece is to be sent and the kiosk dispenses a finished mail piece to the user with the address printer thereon. A feature of the kiosk is that it stores the mail piece forms on a roll, but delivers a linear mail piece to the user. In an alternative to the invention, the kiosk dispenses a ticket to the user that can be used in activities of the environment in which the kiosk is found.

Postal finishing kiosk

A thermal printing postage dispensing apparatus that is able to print a postage indicia on a mail piece in a secure manner. A thermal ribbon is provided which has pre-formed images thereon that are of a reduced size in the longitudinal direction. When the images are to be transferred to an envelope to print a postage indicia by a dot matrix thermal printer, the envelope is driven at a greater speed than the ribbon. This results in the indicia being printed on the envelope with a standard size. The preformed images represent the non-variable portion of a postage indicia; whereas, the variable data of the postage indicia is printed by a thermal printer in blank areas left by the pre-formed images.

Thermal printing postage dispensing device having security features and

Apparatus for supplying moisture to an envelope, having a body portion and a flap portion, the apparatus including, a substantially solid-rectangle-shaped pad made of a material capable of upwardly transferring fluid by capillary action, a device for supplying fluid to the pad, the fluid supplying device including a source of supply of fluid, the fluid supplying device including an elongate well having an elongate substantially rectangularly-shaped base wall, the well including a fluid inlet tube depending from the base wall and removably connected in fluid flow communication with the fluid supply source, the well including a pair of elongate substantially rectangularly-shaped and oppositely-spaced side walls, the well including a pair of substantially rectangularly-shaped and oppositely-spaced end walls extending between the side walls, the side and end walls extending upwardly from the base wall, the well including a plurality of upright posts located at spaced intervals longitudinally of the length of the base wall, the posts dividing the well into an elongate receptacle for receiving the pad and an elongate fluid inlet channel connected in fluid flow communication with the inlet tube, the pad removably mounted in the receptacle, a device for supporting the well, the supporting device including a bracket, and the well removably slidably connected to the bracket to facilitate disconnecting the well therefrom.

Envelope flap moistening apparatus

An apparatus for producing items in selected configurations and a system, and method for controlling the same. More particularly, an apparatus for producing mail pieces and a system and method for controlling it to produce mail pieces in a variety of configurations are disclosed. The apparatus includes a laser printer and folding sealing apparatus controlled by a data processor. The folder sealer apparatus combines sheets printed by the laser printer with pre-printed sheets and envelope forms, which also may be printed by the laser printer or may be windowed envelopes, folds the sheets as necessary and folds and seals the envelope form about the folded sheets to produce a mail piece. A user inputs a configuration for the mail piece which is translated by the data processor into a data structure and transmitted to the controller of the folder sealer apparatus. The controller controls devices comprised in the laser printer and the folder sealer by executing state routines in accordance with the data structure to produce the mail piece in the defined configuration. Concurrently the data processor transmits text from an output file to the laser printer for printing on printed sheets and envelope forms. The data processor also controls the laser printer to print an address for the mail piece either on an envelope form or on a printed sheet in a position where it will be visible through the envelope. Thus the apparatus is controlled to process an output file stored in the data processor into a mail run having a selected configuration.

System and method for producing items in selected configurations

A mailing machine comprised of a plurality of modules, each of the modules a particular process function on a delivered envelope. The modules are arranged with in a single process station. The comprising modules include a scale module having means for weighing a envelope, a transport module having means for positioning the envelope in the process station and ejecting the envelope from the process station, a meter module having printing means for imprinting an indicia on the envelope, a platen module having means for causing the envelope to contact the printing means of the meter module, and a inking module having means for causing printing ink to be deposited on the printing means of the meter module. The modules operate in a manner functionally independent of any other module and in a manner. A tape module is included having means for positioning a tape for indicia printing between the meter module. A cutter module is further included having means for cutting the tape porting subsequent to indicia printing thereon.

Modular mailing machine

Growing community of inventors

Stamford, CT, United States of America

David W Hubbard