Bell + Howell Company

Bell & Howell Phillipsburg Company

Bell & Howell, LLC

George Fallos

Winston A Orsinger

Harry C Noll, Jr

David P Nyffenegger

Richard B Hawkes

Eric A Belec

James S Lee, Jr

Wilbur J Morrison

Warren D Reinert

James E Kissawetter

Lee, Jr: James S

An in-line inserter device comprises envelope and insert feeding assemblies, an envelope inserting station assembly, a sealing and stacking assembly, and various diverter stations. The envelope feeding assembly withdraws envelopes from a hopper-held envelope stack and conveys them to the inserting station. Each modular insert feeding assembly comprises a hopper-held insert stack disposed above, along, and in line with an insert conveyor. The conveyor, along its track, carries inserts dispensed from the hopper-held insert stacks to the inserting station. Diverter stations are disposed ahead of the envelope inserting station for diversion of envelopes and inserts and ahead of the inserted envelope stacking assembly to divert inserted envelopes, for normal operational purposes and for rectification of sensed faults by rejection and extraction of processed faulty items. Such faults include paper jams, misalignments, absences of inserts, duplication of inserts and envelopes, incorrectly collated inserts, damaged inserts or envelopes, etc. Subsequently to inserting, insert-filled envelopes are conveyed from the inserting station, are sealed, turned, and stacked. Supervision and coordination of the operation of the various assemblies and stations in concert is provided by computer control to efficiently accomplish the inserting of the inserts into the envelopes, further processing and handling thereof, and conveyance of the items in and between subunits of the in-line inserter device.

Inserter with diverter for faulty members

An on-edge stacker for stacking envelopes comprises a transporter and diverter, an accumulator, a spider wheel for delivering diverted envelopes to a conveyor belt of the accumulator, and a propelling arrangement to a drive diverted envelopes to the spider wheel. The diverter includes a gate for intercepting and diverting envelopes from the transporter. The stacker includes a device for laterally offsetting envelopes. In one embodiment, the spider wheel is suspended in a free-floating manner against a spring load. The floating spider wheel displacement as a consequence of stack increase is sensed to energize the accumulator conveyor belt drive to reduce the displacement. The actuation of the envelope propelling arrangement is sychronized in correlation with the positions of spaces between legs of the spider wheel. In operation, a diverted envelope is aligned, selectively offset, and propelled into the spider wheel. The spider wheel deposits the envelope on-edge onto the conveyor belt and thusly stacks envelopes side-on-side in the accumulator.

On-edge stacker

In an inserter, a skew and misalignment detector for measuring skew misalignment of inserts that are conveyed on and along a conveyor comprises a plurality of photosensors disposed above the insert-conveying path in transverse relation thereto and a plurality of retroreflective targets disposed beneath the insert-conveying path in transverse relation thereto and directed toward the photosensors. Inserts obstruct the targets while being conveyed thereover. The photosensor signals are sampled in synchronism with the insert-conveying motion. The obtained signals are evaluated in relation to pre-established skew rejection threshold criteria in dependence on insert conveying speed. Inserts are diverted when the skew detector arrangement provides measures of skew and misalignment of inserts that exceed rejection threshold criteria.

Skew detector for inserter

A turnover module for turning over envelopes comprises a plurality of pulleys and disposed thereabout a driven endless belt in the general shape of a flattened figure `8`. The belt includes a crossover region and a first and a second reach extending therethrough. The reaches contact one another resiliently along length portions thereof while crossing over and twisting about one another. Envelopes are received in a first orientation at an entry end of the reaches; nipped between the reaches; transported thereby through the crossover region while being turned over by virtue of the twist of the reaches about one another; and, delivered from the turnover module in a second orientation.

Turnover module

An inserter with collation tracking comprises a programmable computer, means for tracking handled items including individual tracking and collation tracking, sensing means for sensing individual items in different locations, as well as for sensing defective, multiple or missing items, corrective action means, and, means for updating tracking information in correspondence with corrective action taken. The inserter performs corrective action in the form of the rejection and diversion of defective items. Further, the inserter provides for complementarily associating envelopes with particular inserts intended for insertion thereinto, for collation tracking of such complementarily-associated items, and for the diversion of such associated items if at least one of the associated items has been stigmatized as defective.

Inserter with collation tracking

An envelope flap opener comprises a revolving gripper drum for conveying envelopes thereupon in flap-up orientation with flap edge trailing and a revolving rotor disposed vicinally to the gripper drum, the rotor having at least one sucker cup extending from its periphery. Vacuum is valved to the sucker cup at a time when an envelope is conveyed upon the gripper drum past the rotor, the sucker cup grabs and opens the envelope flap, and subsequently the flap is released. Prior to release of the flap, a plow device intercepts the flap and further unfolds it. The plow device includes a photo-sensor for checking of proper flap opening and for detecting missing envelopes.

Envelope flap opener

A feeder module for feeding sheet inserts and having a thickness detector for measuring the thickness of inserts comprises: a gripper drum disc for transporting the inserts upon its periphery; a detector caliper assembly including a pivotable arm having a follower roller borne at one end and a magnet mounted at the other end, the arm being spring loaded with the follower roller against the periphery of the gripper drum disc; and, a stationary Hall sensor to measure relative displacement between the sensor and the magnet. As an insert is transported upon the periphery of the gripper drum disc, the insert is interposed between the periphery and the follower roller and the Hall sensor senses the consequent magnet displacement as a measure of the thickness of the insert. In one embodiment, an adjustable anvil having a peripheral surface is mounted on a face of the gripper drum disc. The anvil is pre-adjusted so that its peripheral surface is disposed at a constant radius from the axis of rotation of the disc. In another embodiment, signals provided by the Hall sensor in absence of inserts are stored as reference signals. Signals provided by the Hall sensor in the presence of an insert are compared with the corresponding stored reference signal to provide an accurate measure of insert thickness regardless of eccentricity of the gripper drum disc periphery.

Feeder module with thickness detection

An inserter station for inserting inserts into envelopes comprises an insert conveyor for conveying inserts to an inserting location, a gripper drum for delivering envelopes to the inserting location, vacuum means for holding bottom surfaces of envelopes, suction cups for lifting top sides and opening envelopes, and an insert pusher for pushing inserts into opened envelopes. The insert pusher moves along a noose-shaped path in a vertical plane. The path has a horizontal, forwardly-directed portion along which the pusher moves to engage and push inserts into evelopes. The path has a retracting portion that curves downwardly and backwardly out of the way of envelopes and inserts being provided to the inserting location. In operation, an envelope is delivered to the inserting location and has its bottom surface held by vacuum applied thereto. The top side of the envelope is lifted by suction cups so that the envelope is opened to receive inserts. Inserts that are conveyed toward the inserting location are engaged at their trailing edges by the insert pusher and are pushed into the opened envelope.

Inserter station for envelope inserting

A rotary flap closer for closing envelope flaps during processing of mailable articles comprises a rotary member having a revolving arm and an elastically resilient member mounted along the arm and revolving therewith. At least a portion of the elastically-resilient member extends from the arm toward a conveyor surface on which envelopes are conveyed to and through the rotary flap closer, whereby the elastically-resilient member slidingly engages open flaps, deflects the flaps onto the envelope bodies, and thereby closes the envelopes. In one embodiment the elastically-resilient member is a brush.

Rotary brush flap closer

An in-line rotary inserter device comprises an envelope feed station (30) and insert feeding modules (20,22,24,26), an inserting station (32), a sealing and stacking assembly (38,40,42), and various diverters (33,36,56). The envelope feed station (30) withdraws envelopes from a hopper-held envelope stack )66,94) and conveys them to the inserting station (32). Each insert feeding module comprises a hopper-held insert stack disposed above, along, and in line with an insert conveyor (34). The conveyor, along its track, carries inserts dispensed from the hopper-held insert stacks to the inserting station (32). Diverter stations for diversion of envelopes and inserts in various locations along their feed paths are provided for normal operational purposes and for rectification of sensed fault conditions. Subsequently to inserting, insert-filled envelopes are conveyed from the inserting station (32), are sealed, turned, stacked, and processed through operations that are customary in preparation of mailable items. Supervision and coordination of operation of the various assemblies and stations in concert is provided by computer control (50).

In-line rotary inserter

A coupling mechanism comprises driving means 12 selectively engaged by driven means 13. The driving means 12 includes an active driving sprocket 15 engaged by a drive chain. The positional relationship of the sprocket 15 with respect to the drive chain is selectively adjustable through a clamp mechanism 21. Locking means 139, 141 preclude the driven means 13 from rotating when the driving means 13 is disengaged from the driving means 12. The positional relationship of the locking means 139 is adjustable relative to coupling drive pins 129.

Coupling mechanism

A document handling machine is provided with various embodiments of means for remotely adjusting the position of a feeding means (44) associated with a hopper (20). The machine is also provided with means for remotely adjusting the position of a plate (32) within the hopper (20).

Document handling machine having remote adjustment mechanism

A break-away device includes a lower arm 15 pivotally connected to an upper arm 19 by a coupling 17. The lower and upper arms 15,19 are generally maintained in a rigid, colinear relationship by a spring-biased detent pin 39. When the lower arm 15 undergoes a lateral impact, the detent pin 39 is displaced from a grooved detent recess 37 of the lower arm 15 and rolled about an upper convex surface 31 thereof, thereby permitting the lower arm 15 to pivot about the coupling 17 and break away from the upper arm 19.

Break-away device

An envelope flap opening apparatus 11 includes a suction cup 21 mounted on a slidable rotatable shaft 23. The shaft 23 both rotates the suction cup 21 so as to partially open an envelope flap 17 engaged thereby and advances the suction cup 21 alongside the travelling envelope 15 until the partially opened flap 17 passes beneath a stationary blade member 91 which fully opens the envelope flap 17.

Growing community of inventors

Easton, PA, United States of America

George Fallos