Pitney Bowes Inc.

George N Branecky

Frank T Roetter

Frank A Oeschger, Jr

Edward M Ifkovits

David R Auerbach

Karel J Janatka

Shahzad H Malick

Michael R Ifkovits

John F Pezzuti

Douglas P Sprenger

James F Giordano

Gary R Sochrin

Philibert E Denison, Iii

The present invention provides a sorter preferably for an inserting system for sorting mailpieces into one of at least two sorting bins, the sorter having a transport device for conveying the mailpieces along a transport path. Each sorting bin includes a bending mechanism for bending the tail edge portion of a mailpiece and a final stacking roller for unbending the tail edge portion of the mailpiece such that the tail edge portion of the mailpiece is diverted into the sorting bin and away from the transport device without the occurrence of jamming of the mailpiece in the entry portion of the sorting bin.

Mailpiece sorting device

An separating and staging machine is disclosed which is used in conjunction with high speed document processing apparatus in which a succession of collations of insert material moving along an insert material feed path to an insert location are inserted into envelopes fed to the insert location. The machine of the present invention feeds envelopes from a storage hopper to a feed path which is long enough to accommodate a plurality of staging locations at which individual envelopes are maintained until one is fed to the insert location, after which the envelopes at each staging location are advanced to the next staging location, and a new envelope is fed from the storage hopper to the first of the staging locations. With this arrangement the distance between successive envelopes moving through the staging locations is approximately equal to the distance between successive collations moving along the insert material feed path, thereby increasing the rate at which envelopes can be fed to the insert location.

Envelope feeding and staging machine for high speed inserting apparatus

Apparatus for inserting sheet materials into an envelope. The apparatus includes: a deck for supporting an envelope and sheet material to be inserted into the envelope, the deck having an upstream and a downstream end; an inserting station located at the downstream end of the deck; a retractable stop extending through the deck at the inserting station; an upstream and a downstream pulley located substantially below the deck at the inserting station, the upstream pulley located upstream of the stop and the downstream pulley located downstream of the stop; a belt trained over the upstream and downstream pulleys for continuously urging the envelope against the stop; a device to continuously drive the belt; a device for feeding envelopes onto the deck against the stop; and a device for inserting the sheet material into the envelope when the envelope is resting against the stop.

High speed envelope inserting station

A buckle chute folder for folding one or more sheets of paper, including a buckle chute and a pair of folding rollers situated downstream of the buckle chute. Each of the folding rollers has a plurality of circumferential grooves extending perpendicular to the axis of the roller, and the grooves of one roller are offset with respect to the grooves of the other roller.

Grooved paper folding rollers

Apparatus for handling mailpieces is provided, including a feed deck, having an upright wall, and including instrumentalities for successively feeding mailpieces downstream on said feed deck. The feeding instrumentalities include a device for engaging the lower major surface of respective mailpieces and a directional feed roller assembly; the latter including a roller and a flexible shaft. The roller extends from the flexible shaft for disposition in engagement with the upper major surfaces of respective mailpieces and cooperates with the mailpiece engaging device for urging the mailpieces against the upright wall for edge registration. The apparatus also includes instrumentalities for selectively gating mailpieces from the feed deck and for stacking the gated mailpieces on edge at a receiving station.

Mail handling 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; 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 process and apparatus are provided for controlling a document inserting machine having a plurality of operating stations therein, one of which includes a high speed feeder for feeding documents bearing control function indicia thereon. The process involves detecting the leading edge of the document and generating time signals in accordance with the speed of the document through the feeder. The control function indicia are scanned for generating control function data bits therefrom which are stored and recycled on the occurrence of a first data bit, thereby converting the time measurement to a distance measurement which provides a means for producing accurate distance measurements between the occurrence of a first data bit and subsequent data bits based on the control function indicia on the document. Scanning zones or windows are formed under the control of the distance measurement between the first data bit and subsequent data bits, which windows provide outputs on the occurrence of a data bit occurring in a particular window, which signals may be used to provide control functions for the plurality of operations of the apparatus. One form of apparatus is illustrated for carrying out the aforesaid process.

Growing community of inventors

Bethel, CT, United States of America

George N Branecky