Bell + Howell Company

Bell & Howell Postal Systems, Inc.

Michael A Wisniewski

Kenneth L Guenther

K George Rabindran

Joseph Kalika

Thomas J Faber

John S O'Callaghan

George Rabindran

Jack S Abrams

David Fillcicchia

Tom Faber

Mel Kerstein

Anthony Storace

John C Hamma

David D Filicicchia

Jerry J Kosner, Jr

John S O'Callaghan, Sr

Mel T Kerstein

John O'Callaghan

An apparatus and method of synchronizing entry of a mailpiece from a mail feeder into a designated mailpiece location of a mail sorting conveyor. The method includes the steps of establishing a symmetric speed versus time profile around a send signal. In a first case, when the mailpiece stops before receiving the send signal, the method further includes following the speed versus time profile to accelerate to a merge speed for merging the mailpiece with the designated mail location of the sorting conveyor. In a second case, when the send signal arrives before the mailpiece reaches the stop position, holding the mailpiece at a constant speed across the speed versus time profile until the position of the mailpiece intersects an opposing side of the speed versus time profile and then following the speed versus time profile to accelerate the mailpiece to a merge speed for merging the mailpiece within the designated mail location of the sorting conveyor.

Method and apparatus for synchronizing a document feeder with a mail

An in-feed magazine apparatus for loading documents includes a magazine feed ramp having one or more document conveyor belts disposed along a bottom surface, the belts being arranged to engage the bottom boundary of the documents. The conveyor belts are configured to effect forward movement of the stack of documents toward a document shingler mechanism along a linear axis defined by forward movement of the conveyor belts. Also included is a backing plate having a lower portion disposed proximal to the conveyor belt, an upper portion disposed vertically upward from the lower portion, and a generally planar face parallel to the plane defined by the face of the documents. An upper and lower sensor sense contact with the front end of the stack of documents while a controller operatively coupled to the upper and the lower sensors determines when the front end of the stack of documents lies in a plane substantially parallel to the face of the backing plate. A jogger mechanism operatively coupled to the controller and the backing plate is configured to reciprocally displace a portion of the stack of documents approaching the backing plate such that the jogger mechanism is energized when the controller determines that the stack of documents is inclined at a forward angle relative to the backing plate where such reciprocal displacement is configured to urge the stack of documents towards a substantially parallel orientation relative to the backing plate.

In-feed magazine apparatus and method for loading documents

An in-feed magazine apparatus for loading documents includes a magazine feed ramp having one or more document conveyor belts disposed along a bottom surface, the belts being arranged to engage the bottom boundary of the documents. The conveyer belts are configured to effect forward movement of the stack of documents toward a document shingler mechanism along a linear axis defined by forward movement of the conveyer belts. Also included is a backing plate having a lower portion disposed proximal to the conveyor belt, an upper portion disposed vertically upward from the lower portion, and a generally planar face parallel to the plane defined by the face of the documents. An upper and lower sensor sense contact with the front end of the stack of documents while a controller operatively coupled to the upper and the lower sensors determines when the front end of the stack of documents lies in a plane substantially parallel to the face of the backing plate. A jogger mechanism operatively coupled to the controller and the backing plate is configured to reciprocally displace a portion of the stack of documents approaching the backing plate such that the jogger mechanism is energized when the controller determines that the stack of documents is inclined at a forward angle relative to the backing plate where such reciprocal displacement is configured to urge the stack of documents towards a substantially parallel orientation relative to the backing plate.

A buffered stacking system for selectively diverting horizontally disposed documents from a generally horizontal main conveying path, stacking the documents in a horizontal orientation and dropping the documents into replaceable receiving receptacles is provided. The system has a primary horizontal conveyor belt with a lower horizontal reach defining a horizontal primary conveying path. A plurality of sorting stations are located serially along and below the primary conveying path. Each of the sorting stations has at least one diverter arm disposed along the conveying path. The diverter arms are selectively movable from a generally horizontal position which allows passage of the documents along the conveying path to an inclined position to divert the document into the corresponding sorting station. The diverter arms divert the document in a downwardly inclined direction into a stacking station. The stacking station is formed with a lower drop floor assembly for supporting the diverted documents in a stacked generally inclined orientation and for pivoting open to allow the stacked documents to fall into a replaceable receiving bin located below a drop floor which forms a part of the drop floor assembly. The stacking assembly also includes a method of operation whereby the drop floor is activated when the documents in the stacking bin are equal to or higher than a predetermined height and when additional documents are not being diverted into the stacking bin.

Buffered stacker with drop floor assembly

A buffered stacking apparatus selectively diverts horizontally disposed documents from a main conveying path, then stacks and transports the documents to replaceable receiving receptacles. The apparatus has a primary horizontal conveyor belt with a lower reach defining a horizontal primary conveying path and at least one secondary conveyor belt having an upper reach which, when the secondary conveyor belt is in a horizontal position, is disposed in a lower juxtaposed relation to the lower reach of the primary conveying belt. The buffered stacking system also selectively effects pivotal movement of the secondary conveyor belt from the horizontal position to a second inclined position wherein the reach of the secondary belt is inclined to the lower reach of the primary conveyor belt. Documents being transported along the primary conveying path are diverted along the inclined reach when the secondary conveying belt is inclined. The documents diverted at the selected diverter station are transported by the inclined reach to a corresponding buffer assembly which horizontally stacks and aligns the documents. The buffer assembly includes a sweeping device which engages and selectively sweeps the stacked documents from the buffer assembly to the corresponding receiving receptacle disposed transversely adjacent the buffer assembly.

Buffered stacker

A document sensor comprises a source of infrared light directed toward a document and a photocell for reacting to the light as it is reflected from the document. A clock drives the light source to send cyclically recurring light pulses toward the document. The clock source also enables a detector each time that the document light source is switched on. After a predetermined number of successive reflected light pulses have been picked up, a document present signal is given.

Clocked optical sensing apparatus

A novel spring and dual pulley construction wherein the pulley includes a pair of co-axial grooves, one of the grooves having a constant diameter that accepts a powered cable acting in one direction, while the other groove has a varying radius of curvature that accepts a second cable connected to one end of the tension spring and with the other end of the spring fixedly mounted. This arrangement maintains a constant spring force on a member moving along a slide in a reciprocating fashion and having one side thereof connected to said powered cable for movement in one direction and the other side connected to the second cable for movement in the opposite direction activated by a constant spring force regardless of the extension of the spring.

Apparatus for applying a constant tensile force to a moving element

A printer apparatus for a document handling machine is adapted to obtain a signal from a series of information-bearing marks on a first document and transmit that signal to the control device for the printer apparatus to initiate the printing of an image such as a bar code on a second document which is to be furnished in a mailing envelope along with the first document. The printer apparatus automatically removes the second document from a hopper, advances the second document to a printing station, lowers a print head module to the printing station over the second document, prints a specified but variable bar code on the second document, and delivers the imprinted second document to the transport raceway of a document insertion machine.

Printing apparatus for insertion machine

A matrix printing apparatus of the type having a path for sequentially transporting a series of documents to be printed between a plurality of dot matrix ballistic print heads and back-up platen rollers opposite each print head, the dot matrix ballistic print heads adapted, when actuated, to simultaneously impact an ink source and one side of each document as each document passes the print heads to apply printed material to each document in a pre-programmed array. The improvement of the present invention comprises moving the back-up platen rollers from a first position adjacent the print head when the print head is actuated, to a second position at a distance from the print head when the print head is not actuated. The matrix printing apparatus also includes an ink source comprising an endless inked ribbon which continually moves between the dot matrix ballistic print heads and the document path, and includes an ink guard disposed between the inked ribbon and the document path, the ink guard having relatively small apertures therein adjacent each print head wherein only the portion of the ribbon adjacent each print head extends through each corresponding aperture and contacts each document during application of printed material to each document.

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Bolingbrook, IL, United States of America

Michael A Wisniewski