Pitney Bowes Inc.

Frank A Oeschger, Jr

George N Branecky

Frank T Roetter

Francis T Roetter

Charles B Pearson

For use in combination with a machine for feeding a web of paper in a downstream path of travel, there is provided apparatus for folding an unfolded web of paper along its longitudinally-extending weakened fold line. The apparatus comprises: a frame; web drag structure including a drag member which longitudinally extends across the path of travel of the unfolded web for frictional engagement by the web; a lower roller which is rotatably attached to the frame below the level of the drag member so as to extend transverse to the drag member and at an angle of approximately 95.degree. with respect to a vertical plane passing through the drag member, such that an unfolded web may extend downwardly in its path of travel from the drag member, into engagement with the lower roller and be gradually folded between them; and an output roller which is rotatably attached to the frame below the level of the drag member so as to extend transverse to the drag member and such that the folded web may extend from beneath the lower roller and into engagement with the output roller and the from beneath the output roller to the machine. In addition, the apparatus comprises web guiding structure including a pair of drag elements connected to the frame as to extend into engagement with the web between the drag member and lower roller, the drag elements being constructed and arranged for engaging the partially folded web on opposite sides of the fold line for pre-creasing the web along the fold line.

Web folding apparatus

For use in combination with a machine for feeding a web of paper in a downstream path of travel, there is provided apparatus for folding an unfolded web of paper along its longitudinally-extending weakened fold line. The apparatus comprises a frame; a drag member attached to the frame so as to extend in frictional engagement with the unfolded web; a pair of parallel spaced rollers which are attached to the frame below the level of the drag member so as to extend at right angles to the drag member, such that an unfolded web may extend downwardly in its path of travel from said drag member to said upper roller and be folded between them and such that the folded web may threadably extend between the upper and lower rollers; and an output roller attached to the frame so as to extend parallel to said upper and lower rollers, such that the folded web may extend in its path of travel from beneath the lower roller to the output roller and then from beneath the output roller to the machine. In addition, there is provided an upright guide plate, which extends between the lower roller and output roller and at right angles to the same, and articulable structure which carries a wheel for disposition in rolling engagement with the fold line of a web between the drag member and said upper roller. The wheel is thus selectively positionable with respect to a web for urging the fold edge of a folded web into engagement with the guide plate as the machine feeds a web in its downstream path of travel.

A bursting apparatus for separating one or two continuous webs of material along transverse lines of weakening thereon. The material is fed through two pairs of rollers driven by suitable driving apparatus. Magnetic clutch and magnetic brake assemblies halt rotation of one pair of rollers upstream the transverse line of weakening, while the other pair of rollers continues to grip and feed the material. The resultant longitudinal tension along the material promotes rupture at the transverse line of weakening. A breaker roller mounted between the two pairs of rollers has axially mounted spheres to promote discrete points of increased tension along the transverse line of weakening. The bursting operation is repetitive and continuous. Separated sheets are successively transported or stacked after passing through the rollers.

Bursting apparatus

This invention relates to a document collating and envelope stuffing apparatus having a continuous conveying mechanism that collects and collates documents from feeding stations and conveys the collated documents to an envelope stuffing station in a continuous manner. The feeding stations have platforms associated therewith where the documents are deposited so as to be picked up by the conveying mechanism and subsequently stuffed into envelopes. Downstream from the stuffing station is another conveying mechanism that conveys the stuffed envelopes to sealing and postage metering devices.

Document collating and envelope stuffing apparatus

A collating, folding and inserting system having a plurality of collating stations arranged in series along a feed path. Documents are collated in seriatim along the feed path, and are then collectively stuffed into an envelope at a stuffing station located downstream of the collating stations. One or more of the collating stations can comprise a combination document folding mechanism and a document feeding mechanism. The folding and feeding combination comprises a folder feed roller for feeding one document at a time into a folding apparatus which discharges a folded document into said feeding mechanism. The feeding mechanism comprises a discharging roller which receives the folded document and discharges it to a chain driven gripper operatively movable along the feed path. The folder feed roller and the discharge feed roller are synchronously energized so that as a new document is fed into the folding apparatus at substantially the same time that a prior folded document is discharged into the feed path of the system.

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East Norwalk, CT, United States of America

Frank A Oeschger, Jr