Pitney Bowes Deutschland Gmbh

Pitney Bowes Technologies Gmbh

Bell & Howell, LLC

Martin Sting

Christian Botschek

Rainer Oberheim

Axel Brauneis

Edward J Kapturowski

Joseph Zuech

Aaron A Kracht

Robin L Heilman

Todd Murdock

Stefan Will

Stephan Will

The present application relates to techniques and equipment to manufacture mailpieces containing inserts. The equipment can be an inserter or an envelope wrapper that collects documents and inserts on a collating track before the material is inserted into an envelope by inserting equipment or wrapped with paper or film to make an envelope by wrapping equipment. More specifically, the present application relates to a rotary insert feeder that feeds inserts to a collating track on inserting or wrapping type equipment.

Method and system to feed inserts with a rotary and gripper system

In the case of a mail-processing machine having a conveying path () which contains a circulating conveying chain and conveys onto a handling station (), easy changeover to a variety of processing tasks and good adaptability to constricted space conditions are achieved in that, by a switchable actuating arrangement, manipulator fingers () articulated on a manipulator hand (), in the handling station (), can be switched both into the operating position both for the forward stroke of the manipulator hand and for the return stroke of the manipulator hand and into the return position both for the return stroke of the manipulator hand and for the forward stroke of the manipulator hand. Free through-passage-channel areas () for sheet like article and sets thereof which are to be processed further or are to be inserted into envelopes are provided in the handling station, not only with regard to the direction (F) from the feeding conveying chain and to a laterally adjacent first processing arrangement but also in the opposite direction perpendicular to the feed direction of the first conveying chain.

Mail-processing machine

A supply station for positioning enclosures on an enclosure-collating path of a mail-processing installation allows a simple conversion from operation for processing a stack of comparatively flexible, thin enclosures to operation for processing a stack of comparatively thick, essentially inflexible enclosures. The conversion is achieved using a magazine housing inside a supply station housing mounted so that it can be secured in two different pivot positions, whereby in one pivot position the lowermost enclosure of a stack of enclosures is bent using a vacuum arrangement in which the front end of the enclosure in the withdrawal direction can be gripped by a gripper, while in a second pivot position of the magazine housing, the front end in the withdrawal direction of a lowermost, comparatively thick and essentially inflexible enclosure is pushed by means of a pusher arrangement directly into the open claws of the gripper.

Supply station for positioning enclosures on an enclosure-collating path

In a rotary feeder for conveying enclosures, in particular into conveying compartments of an enclosure-collating path, during operation, shocks within the gear mechanism of the drive unit of the feeder drum on account of gear mechanism play are avoided and the level of noise during operation is reduced in that a cam-actuated pair of claws () is provided in each case at two diametrically opposite locations of the feeder drum () of the rotary feeder, and the cam () for actuating the pairs of claws is configured in sections (O) with an increasing in the radial spacing of its profile in accordance with a claw-opening movement counter to the prestressing force of prestressing means () and, in sections (C) with a decrease in the radial spacing of its profile in accordance with a claw-closing movement under the prestressing force of the prestressing means, such that a braking moment on account of the claw opening counter to the prestressing force of the prestressing means, this braking moment being transmitted to a rotating follower roller () and a link (), bearing the latter, for claw actuation, and to the feeder drum () via the claw pivoting shaft (), is compensated for by an accelerating moment on account of the claw closure under the prestressing force of the prestressing means, this accelerating moment being transmitted to a rotating follower roller () and a link (), bearing the latter, for claw actuation, and to the feeder drum ().

Rotary feeder with cam actuated claw members

In an enclosure-collating device, in particular for mail-processing installations, a shorter dimensioning of the enclosure-conveying compartments on a collating path in the direction of the enclosure conveying on said collating path is achieved in that enclosures are fed into the enclosure-conveying compartments obliquely with a movement component in the conveying direction of the enclosure-conveying arrangement by an oblique conveying device of a transfer device serving to feed the enclosures into the enclosure-conveying compartments.

Enclosure-collating device, in particular for mail-processing installations

An envelope-filling station for mail-processing systems. The station includes an enclosure feeder for transporting enclosures to an inserting arrangement pushing enclosures into envelopes in the same direction as the enclosure feeder. An envelope supply is positioned parallel to the enclosure feeding device. Envelopes are diagonally transported from the envelope supply to the inserting arrangement by an intermediate transport. A movable stop, in an active state, holds an envelope received in position for insertion of enclosures. When the movable stop is changed to an inactive state the filled envelope can be conveyed away from the envelope-filing station. The movable stop has a further intermediate stop position in which the stop is moved back, by a comparatively small distance in relation to the push-in movement, such that, under the driving frictional action of the intermediate envelope-conveying device, the filled envelope comes free of the push-in arrangement in the push-in direction.

Envelope-filling station for mail-processing systems

Disclosed is an inserter station for mail processing systems, consisting of a feeder device () for transporting inserts, an envelope separation device for separating envelopes from a stack of envelopes, also comprising a mail transport device () which is located parallel to the transport track of the feeder device extending close thereto in order to take up the individual envelopes, further comprising orienting means () for positioning an envelope to be filled in a precise position in front of an insertion device (). According to the invention, the complex action of orienting the envelopes to be filled on the path between the envelope separation device () and the insertion device () is simplified by configuring the envelope transport device () at least in one end section adjacent to the intermediate envelope transport device () such that the envelope can be horizontally displaced with the aid of a displacement component perpendicular to the direction of transport of the intermediate envelope transport device (). The intermediate envelope transport device () has a direction of transport extending at an angle (alpha) in relation to the direction of transport of the envelope transport device and can extract a transported envelope in an oblique position with respect to the horizontal direction and transport it against an angle stop device () which can be switched either actively or inactively at random and which in an active position produces a precise orientation of the envelope to be filled with inserts or series of inserts.

Inserter station for mail processing systems

In an envelope-filling station for mail processing systems having an envelope-feeding arrangement for single, open envelopes, an intermediate envelope-conveying arrangement extending at an angle thereto in the direction of an angle stop arrangement provided for the purpose of aligning the envelope, and an envelope-advancing arrangement from which the envelopes are accepted from the angle stop arrangement, a simplification of the design, and effort needed to control the component parts is achieved when the angle stop arrangement, with the exception of a stopping straightedge that is to be provided to achieve extremely precise alignment of an envelope that is supplied at an angle, contains as a further part of the angle stop arrangement a conveying nip between the upper strand of an intermittently driven conveying belt of the envelope-advancing arrangement and a pressure-exerting roller that is pre-tensioned near the beginning of the upper strand of this conveying belt. The envelope-advancing arrangement has coupling means following the pressure-exerting roller that interact with the intermittently driven upper strand of the conveying belt of this envelope-advancing arrangement, in particular a roller bar that can be moved up and down, said means conveying an aligned envelope to a position in front of the feeding station, independent of the function of the pressure-exerting roller, and transporting the filled envelope out of the inserting station.

Envelope-filling station for mail processing systems

In a processing station for a mail processing machine, a housing is formed by parallel housing side parts, standing opposite each other at a distance corresponding to the width of the conveying track of the mail processing machine, a housing part connecting these across the conveying track and a supporting partition fixed to the connecting housing part, situated in a vertical median plane relative, to the distance between the housing side parts and parallel to the housing side parts, and restricted to a prismatic or cylindrical space above a level at a distance from the surface of the conveying track. The supporting partition serves to support bearings for axles and shafts of an actuating apparatus arranged in the processing station in question, in such a manner that the space immediately above the conveying track surface is kept free of drive members and control members for the actuating apparatus in order to enable large-format inserts or sets of inserts to be passed through the processing station.

Processing station for a mail processing machine

An envelope filling station at which enclosures are pushed into envelopes. Envelopes are provide to the filling station via an envelope conveyor transverse to the push-in direction. A roller bar positioned above the conveyor is lowered while transporting envelopes and raised while documents are pushed into the stopped envelopes, A stop means, stops the envelopes on the conveyor at an appropriated filling location. Upstream of the conveyor an auxiliary conveying arrangement provides envelopes to the conveyor from a direction perpendicular to the conveyor.

Envelope-filling station

In an apparatus for handling sheet-like articles, in particular an envelope-filling station, an overload-prevention means is incorporated in the connection between a drive mechanism and an actuating arrangement for push-in fingers, which are guided over a base plate, in that the drive mechanism has a crankshaft, a crank and a connecting rod, which is routed from said crank to an auxiliary drive lever, in that the auxiliary drive lever is mounted on the same shaft as a drive lever of the actuating arrangement, coaxially with respect to said drive lever and such that it can be pivoted relative to the same, and in that spring means clamp the auxiliary drive lever and the drive lever together on a pivot stop, which is provided between said levers, such that the levers cannot separate during the operating stroke.

Device for handling objects in sheet form

A drive and actuating system for an envelope-filling station in which enclosures or sets of enclosures are fed, by a driven conveyor, to a push-in station in which a push-in arrangement, which has a pivot drive, receives the enclosures or sets of enclosures and pushes them into envelopes, which are held ready in an open state. The envelopes are then delivered into a position opposite the push-in station, from oriented transversely to the push-in direction, by an envelope-conveying arrangement. Further, a multiplicity of functions of the individual parts of the envelope-filling station can be forcibly synchronized in an adjustable manner and a comparatively straightforward and clear construction of the overall drive and actuating system is produced.

Drive and actuating system for an envelope-filling station

An envelope-filling bench for adding onto a push-in station of mail-processing machine, the bench containing an envelope-conveyor for transporting envelopes in front of the push-in station and for transporting them away once the envelopes have been filled with enclosures or sets of enclosures. The envelope-filling bench formed essentially from two vertical transverse partition walls, which are spaced apart parallel to one another, a sheet-metal C-profile support, which runs horizontally the direction perpendicular to the transverse partition walls, and a sheet-metal L-profile support, which is welded into said sheet-metal profile support. It being the case that openings and cutouts in the walls of box chamber enclosed by the sheet-metal supports are produced by punching sheet-metal blanks prior to the production of the sheet-metal supports by angling operations. The openings and bores in the walls of said box chamber serve for receiving bearings of shafts and spindles for rollers wheels of the envelope-conveyor.

Envelope-filling bench

In an apparatus for handling sheet-like articles, in particular in an envelope-filling station, in which a carrier ( ) provided with push-in fingers ( ) is moved back and forth by means of an actuating arrangement ( ) in order for articles which are conveyed up by means of a conveying path ( ) to be received from the conveying path and handled in the conveying direction, improved adaptation of the handling speed of the push-in fingers ( ) to the conveying speed of the conveying path ( ) is achieved in that a drive mechanism ( ) of the actuating arrangement contains a crank drive, on the crankshaft ( ) of which there is fastened an elliptical two-belt pulley ( ) which is coupled, via a toothed belt ( ) to a continuously driven, round belt pulley ( ).

In an envelope-filling apparatus for mail-processing machines, the adjustment of the push-in depth of enclosures into open envelopes in the operating stroke of a pivot-lever arrangement, which bears a push-in-finger arrangement, is simplified in that said pivot-lever arrangement is designed as a three-lever rectilinear-guidance mechanism, of which the third lever, which serves as the carrier hand for the push-in-finger arrangement, has, at its free end, a slide guide which can be secured and is intended for adjusting the distance between a push-in-finger shaft for the push-in-finger arrangement and the point of articulation of the longer lever of the three-lever rectilinear-guidance means on the carrier hand.

Growing community of inventors

Bad Vilbel, Germany

Martin Sting