Bell + Howell Company

Bell & Howell Postal Systems, Inc.

Gary L Vander Syde

Kenneth L Guenther

K George Rabindran

Eduard M Svyatsky

Paul J Beatty

Gerald D Warden

Jose S Pioquinto

Myron A Bowles

Anatoly Estis

Kenneth G Viani

Michael A Wisniewsi

The apparatus is used to remove a generally rectangular container from an unloading device that places the container in a predetermined position. The container has a bottom surface, upstanding sidewalls and forward and rear endwalls. The apparatus includes a base portion for supporting the apparatus and a container removing arm pivotally attached to the base portion configured to releasably engage the container and remove the container from the unloading device. Also included are container engaging clamps operatively connected to the container removing arm arranged to contact and releasably engage at least one of the bottom surface, the upstanding sidewalls, the forward endwall, and the rear endwall of the container. A powered assembly pivotally displaces the container removing arm when the clamps releasably engage the container. A controller is operatively coupled to the powered assembly to selectively control forward and backward pivoting of the arm. The controller is also operatively coupled to the container engaging clamps to selectively control engagement of the clamps such that backward pivoting of the arm while the clamps engage the container facilitates removal of the container from the unloading device when the arm is pivoted in a backward direction.

Pivotal tray unloading apparatus

The invention provides an improved auger conveyor in the magazine section of a document feeder apparatus which is capable of feeding large amounts of documents to a document sorting machine in a rapid and efficient manner. The auger conveyor includes: three horizontal augers which rotate in a clockwise direction; spiral grooves formed on the horizontal augers and divided in half by the existence of two separate pitches; joggers on the surfaces of the wider pitched portions of the two inner horizontal augers which facilitate reception of documents within the grooves; a raised auger which rotates in a counterclockwise direction; and a spiral groove configured in the direction opposite to the grooves on the horizontal augers and which also is divided in half by the existence of two separate pitches; and a document feed or pickoff apparatus for individually separating the lead document from the document supply. The improved auger conveyor efficiently conveys the documents in the proper orientation while assuring that they are separated from one another for individual processing.

Document feeder apparatus

Apparatus and method for automatically preparing large mailings in which one or more documents are nested within the fold of a letter sheet prior to insertion into an outer envelope. One or more unfolded letter sheets are transported to a folding operation involving a clamp assembly and a roller folding assembly which is movable into engagement with the clamp assembly. After folding and prior to stuffing into an envelope, one or more inserts can be inserted within the folded letter sheet.

Apparatus and method for automated mail

A vacuum cup mechanism with automatic venting means. A carriage member oscillates between a stack of documents and the main document transport means. A vacuum device mounted on the carriage has a flexible cup at one end and is connected to a vacuum source at the other end. The vacuum device has a body with an internal hollow chamber which is in fluid communication with the flexible cup and the vacuum source. The body rotates about a pivot point to control the operation of a valve which vents the vacuum at the vacuum cup when the document is placed into the main document transport.

Adaptive vacuum cup mechanism

Growing community of inventors

Naperville, IL, United States of America

Gary L Vander Syde