Pitney Bowes Inc.

Other

Gerald C Freeman

Seymour Feinland

Norman R Lilly

Edilberto I Salazar

Christopher DeBarber

Paul C Talmadge

Flavio M Manduley

Donald T Dolan

Richard P Schoonmaker

Kenneth A Schulz

Franklin J Buckley

John J Balogh, Jr

John J Bogdanski

Morton Silverberg

Daniel F Dlugos

Thomas M Lyga

Paul R Sette

Frank T Check, Jr

William A Ross

William D Toth

Raymond R Lupkas

Vincent G Coppola

Konstantin G Kodonas

Timothy R Erwin

Pushpavadan S Nagarsheth

Thomas M Helit

Louis T Canevari

Raymond R Crowley

Robert T Durst

Edward P Cornell

Jacky Y Igval

Vincent F Viera

Edward R Soldi, Jr

Douglas M Mattingly

Frank R Chiappetta

James F Mahoney

A mailing machine comprising a device for feeding an envelope having a width in a path of travel; a device for determining the width of the envelope; and a control device in operative communication with the determining device for using the width of the envelope to ascertain a proper amount of postage to be applied to the envelope. According to a first embodiment, the determining device includes a sensor array located transverse to the path of travel for detecting the presence of the envelope where the sensor array includes an inner plurality of sensors and an outer plurality of sensors located further away from a registration wall than the inner plurality of sensors. According to a second embodiment, the determining device includes a first sensor for detecting a lead edge of the envelope and a sensor line located downstream in the path of travel from the first sensor and at an angle to the path of travel so as to detect a lead corner of the envelope.

Mailing machine including dimensional rating capability

A high speed, high volume mailing machine which utilizes ink jet technology for the printing of postage indicia on envelopes being fed through the mailing machine and on discrete portions of tape fed past the printing device of the mailing machine includes a tape storing and feeding mechanism which stores a roll of tape in the form of a web of indefinite length for feeding a discrete portion of the tape past the feeding device for each printing operation of the mailing machine, and feeds the tape forward to bring the printed portion thereof past and then reverses the movement of the tape to bring the new leading edge thereof to the beginning of the printing area. The tape storing and feeding mechanism provides a fixed support for the portion of the tape being printed on so as to maintain a critical gap between the surface of the tape and the plane of the jet nozzles to achieve a high printing quality. The tape storing and feeding mechanism also provides a feeding device which maintains effective control over the movement of the tape without contacting any part of the printed portion thereof, and further provides ample shock absorbing for the roll of tape so that sudden acceleration of the tape strip does not tear the tape in the printing area.

Tape storing and feeding mechanism for mailing machines

In a mailing machine which transports along a feed path a mailpiece having a moistened flap and a main body portion, a sealing and deskewing device comprising structure for transporting the mailpiece through the mailing machine; a first roller mounted for rotation and having a first roller surface; and a second roller mounted for rotation and having a conical segment and at least one other segment, wherein at times when the mailpiece is transported between the first and second rollers in a skewed orientation relative to the feed path the conical segment operatively cooperates with the transporting means to deskew the mailpiece relative to the feed path and concurrently the first roller surface operatively cooperates with the at least one other segment to apply pressure to the moistened flap to seal the moistened flap to the main body portion.

Sealing and deskewing device for a mailing machine

A mailing machine has an envelope transport device extending longitudinally therethrough and a digital ink jet printing device located adjacent the downstream end of the transport device. Due to the criticality of the spacing between the upper surface of an envelope and the discharge nozzles of the ink jet print head, the envelopes passing through the mailing machine must have their upper surfaces registered with a fixed plane that extends in spaced relationship with the nozzles. The mailing machine includes a flap closing device having fixed and movable elements that can accommodate variations in thickness of the envelopes extending from the registration plane downwardly within a fixed range so that the flap closing device can simultaneously close the flaps of both thin and thick envelopes passing through the mailing machine in a mixed stream.

Mailing machine having envelope closing and sealing device

A thermal ink ribbon cassette for holding an inked ribbon of indefinite length for is in a thermal transfer printing mechanism is disclosed in which the cassette holds a spool of fresh ink ribbon which passes out of the cassette and across a thermal printing head, and then back into the cassette into a used ribbon chamber. A ribbon drive mechanism is mounted in the cassette adjacent the location on the cassette where the used ribbon normally enters the cassette so that if the ribbon breaks, the free broken end can be manually fed into the drive mechanism so that the remaining portion of the unused ribbon can be used. The cassette may also be provided with a removable front wall so that replacement ribbons can be inserted by a user, and a disposable container can be put into the ribbon take up chamber of the cassette so that a user does not have to handle the rumpled ink ribbon when changing to a new ribbon.

Thermal ink ribbon cassette for mailing machines

Mailing machine for feeding a mailpiece and printing a postal indicia thereon. The mailing machine includes: a drive assembly for feeding the mailpiece in a path of travel, a printer located adjacent to the path of travel to define a print station, the printer for printing the postal indicia on the mailpiece as the mailpiece is fed through the print station; a wall parallel to the path of travel for registering a top edge of the mailpiece; a shield located in the print station for registering a top surface of the mailpiece, the shield having a suitable opening to allow the printer to print on the top surface of the of the mailpiece; and a guide assembly for biasing the top surface of the mailpiece against the shield. The guide assembly including a first support rail including a first top guide surface and a second top guide surface vertically spaced apart from the first top surface, the first support rail spaced apart transverse to the path of travel from the wall and a device for biasing the first support rail upward so that the mailpiece is fed between the shield and the first support rail as the mailpiece is fed through the print station so that a first type of mailpiece having a width greater than a threshold value contacts the first top guide surface and a second type of mailpiece having a width less than the threshold value contacts the second top guide surface.

Guide and support structure for a mailing machine

An apparatus and method for transporting a mailpiece. The apparatus comprises an assembly for feeding the mailpieces in a path of travel; a sensor assembly for determining the length of the mailpieces; and a controller in operative communication with the sensor assembly and the feeding assembly, the controller for adjusting the gap between a first mailpiece having a measured length and a second mailpiece to: (i) establish a fixed pitch between the first mailpiece and the second mailpiece if the measure length is equal to or less than a predetermined value, or (ii) establish a fixed gap between the first mailpiece and the second mailpiece if the measure length is greater than the predetermined value. The method comprises the steps of feeding the mailpieces in a path of travel; determining the length of the mailpieces; and adjusting the gap between a first mailpiece having a determined length and a second mailpiece to establish a fixed pitch between the first mailpiece and the second mailpiece if the determined length is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

Article transport apparatus

A dimensional weighing apparatus is disclosed which has a weighing scale for determining the actual weight of a carton placed thereon, and associated therewith is a measuring frame having movable carton contact means for measuring the linear distance of the three axes of a carton positioned on the scale necessary to determine the volume of the carton. A computer processing means determines firstly whether the actual volume of the carton is less or greater than a predetermined threshold volume, and if greater, calculates a dimensional weight of the carton and compares the dimensional weight of the carton with the actual weight to determine which weight is the larger, and sends a signal indicative of the larger weight to a shipping system which calculates a realistic shipping charge for the carton based on the weight determined by the dimensional weighing apparatus to be the larger of the two weights.

Dimensional weighing apparatus

A mailing machine comprising a control system, a print head having individual print elements which are selectively energizable for printing on an envelope and a transport system for feeding the envelope past the print head. The transport system including a first pulley, a second pulley in proximate location to the print head, an endless belt extending between the first and second pulley, the endless belt engaging the envelope and feeding the envelope past the print head, a drive system for causing the endless belt to rotate and an encoder system operatively coupled to the second pulley for providing signals indicative of the position of the second pulley. The control system in operative communication with the print head, the encoder system and the drive system for synchronizing the feeding of the envelope with energizing of the elements of the print head.

Mailing machine

An apparatus and method for feeding a mailpiece into and out of a weighing module. The apparatus comprises a device for feeding the mailpiece; and a device for positioning the feeding device in a first position for receiving the mailpiece from a first direction and feeding the mailpiece into the weighing module. Additionally, the positioning device moves the feeding device into a second position for feeding the mailpiece in a second direction out of the weighing module. The feed device includes a drive roller and an idler roller for keeping the mailpiece in operative engagement with the drive roller. The method comprises the steps of: (a) positioning a feeding device in a first position for receiving the mailpiece from a first direction; (b) feeding the mailpiece in the first direction into the weighing module; and (c) positioning the feeding device in a second position for feeding the mailpiece in a second direction out of the weighing module.

Transport apparatus for a weighing module

A method of recalibrating an electronic scale is disclosed which causes the scale to indicate accurate weight measurements regardless of variations in the physical and/or environmental conditions under which the scale is operating between a site of origin and a site of installation which tend to adversely effect accurate weight. The method utilizes the removable platter of the scale as a fixed weight of indeterminate amount which is used to calibrate the scale at a site of origin under controlled physical and/or environmental conditions and to recalibrate the scale at a site of installation at which the physical and/or environmental conditions may be different from those that prevailed at the site of origin. Also disclosed is a method of obtaining an accurate indication of the weight of a mail piece placed on the platter of the scale at the site of installation regardless of the variations in physical and/or environmental conditions under which the scale operates, this method being an extension of the method for recalibrating the scale.

Method of recalibrating electronic scales

An apparatus for adjusting and then maintaining the leveling support of an assembly relative to the surface upon which that assembly has been placed. The apparatus can be locked or maintained in place to prevent the loosening of the adjustment if the assembly is moved. The apparatus is comprised of an elastomeric material molded concentrically around a threaded stud to form a foot; a plurality of longitudinal grooves on the interior wall of the foot; a plurality of longitudinal ridges on the outside surface of an extension from the base section of the assembly; and, a threaded insert within the extension that can mate with the threaded stud.

Scale locking foot

Disclosed is a method of recalibrating an electronic scale to maintain accurate weight measurements of a scale regardless of variations in the physical and/or environmental conditions under which the scale is operating between a site of origin and a site of installation which tend to adversely affect accurate weight. Also disclosed is method of obtaining an accurate indication of the weight of an article by an electronic scale at a site of installation regardless of variations in the physical and/or environmental conditions under which the scale is operating between a site of origin and the site of installation which tend to adversely affect accurate weight. Both methods are accomplished by recalibrating the scale to adjust the output of certain electronic control components to compensate for the difference in the physical and/or environmental conditions between the two sites which tend to adversely affect accurate weight indications of the scale.

Growing community of inventors

Norwalk, CT, United States of America

Gerald C Freeman