Xerox Corporation

Pitney Bowes Inc.

Other

Morton Silverberg

Steven A Supron

Donald T Dolan

David W Hubbard

Robert T Durst, Jr

Samuel W Martin

Carl A Miller

William A Salancy

Michael A Brown

Ralph A Hamaker

Stephen C Arnone

Roger H Eichorn, Deceased

John M Browne

William G Hart

Jeffrey J Folkins

Robert A Cordery

Leon A Pintsov

Nero R Lindblad

Denis J Stemmle

Gerald C Freeman

Russell W Holbrook

George J Roller

Kevin D Hunter

William R Burger

Charles F Murphy, Iii

Seymour Feinland

Walter J Baker

Dean H Foster

Norman J Bergman

Barry H Axelrod

Sukumaran K Menon

Christopher S Riello

James Morabito

Arthur Rubinstein

Robert T Durst

Jack A Cohen

James E Hutton

William V Pickering, Jr

Dale W Young

Bret K Taylor

William F Siegl

Kenneth A Terry

By Lincoln First Bank Of Rochester, Executor

David Murcko

By Russell Mandrino, Executor

Peter C DiLiulio

Gordon G Stricker

User protocols that utilize a computers touchscreen as a display sized touchpad for computer control with both an intermediate cursor and direct finger touch computer control capability. One protocol combines: cursor initiation where and when a single finger contacts appropriate touchscreen locations; accurate cursor positioning with directional and distance controlling screen contacting motions; and creating touchpad button down events with a delayed additional finger making momentary or continuing finger screen contacts while a preceding finger is still in contact. Cursor Initiation eliminates searching for the cursor, and enables a deft selection capability comparable to direct touch selection. An alternate protocol emulates current always-available cursor based computer operation. Both protocols enable: precision selection capability vs. significant direct finger contact selection limitations; probing how the image display is organized before selection; and the use of software and operating systems functionally similar to that on cursor based personal computers.

Intermediate cursor touchscreen protocols

In a digital copier in which the copies are made with a reciprocating ink-jet printhead, the original image to be copied is pre-scanned at high speed and low resolution, to identify an area in the original image having white space. If the white-space area in the original image is sufficiently large, the action of the printhead can be adapted to skip the corresponding area in the copy sheet in the printing process, thus increasing the overall throughput of the digital copier. An analogous technique can be used to identify non-halftone or non-color portions of an original image, which can be printed with fewer than a maximum number of passes of the printhead over a specific area of the copy sheet.

Ink-jet copier in which an original image is prescanned for optimized

As apparatus for producing items in selected configurations and a system and method for controlling the same. The apparatus includes a laser printer and folding sealing apparatus controlled by a data processor. The folder sealer apparatus combines sheets printed by the laser printer with pre-printed sheets and envelope forms, which also may be printed by the laser printer. The apparatus folds the sheets as necessary and folds and seals the envelope form about the folded sheets to produce a mail piece. A user inputs a configuration for the mail piece which is translated by the data processor and transmitted to the controller of the folder sealer apparatus. The controller controls the laser printer and the folder sealer to produce the mail piece in the defined configuration. Concurrently the data processor transmits text from an output file to the laser printer for printing on printed sheets and envelope forms. The data processor also controls the laser printer to print an address for the mail piece. Thus the apparatus is controlled to process an output file into a mail run. A sheet feeder for feeding sheets and envelope forms to the apparatus is also disclosed. The sheet feeder includes a take-up mechanism and a separating mechanism for singulating sheets. The separating mechanism includes a pair of crown rollers positioned above and between a pair of fixed, quarter-round retarding elements which extend in the feed direction. A top sheet is corrugated sufficiently that drag forces between it and a next sheet are reduced. A plate is positioned downstream from the separating mechanism to decorrugating the top sheet.

Mechanism and method for feeding sheets from a stack

A power stacker provides for receiving lengthwise orientated envelopes projected longitudinally onto the power stacker at a receiving end of the power stacker from an envelope feed device. The power stacker has a base supporting both an elongated deck and registration wall, an envelope transport system for transporting envelopes along the deck from the receiving end to a stack end of the deck. The transport system includes a plurality of friction belts extending partly along the deck and a power stack wheel pivotally mounted to the registration wall. An upper deflection flap at having one end pivotally mounted to the registration wall at the receiving end of the deck at a vertical elevation above that of the longitudinal feed level of the feed device, the upper deflection flap to contact the deck at it other end at a predetermined nominal angle forward of the power stack wheel. A deflector ramp is fixably mounted to a lateral positioning member, the deflector ramp being horizontally elongated and set at a fixed inclining horizontal angle nominally set at 20 degree. The lateral positioning member is adjustably mounted to the deck and the deflector fixably mounted thereto for selectively positioning the deflector ramp laterally with respect to the registration wall. A deflector bench is fixably mounted to the registration wall at the receiving end of the deck at a vertical elevation just below the longitudinal feed level of the feed device for preventing opening of the envelope.

Registration power stacker

A family of improved paper clips and a process for their formation is disclosed which comprises a central bridge leg joining two overlapping and contacting gripping jaws. Each gripping jaw lies in its own plane and controlled torsional forces in the legs comprising the jaws provide for independently controlled gripping forces at multiple tangential contact points. The controlled gripping forces and two layer planar shape result from a substantially elastic transformation from a preceding stepped helix wire form. The advantages include a firm grip on thin or thick packets, the ability to stay flat on thick packets of material, resistance to distortion, special features to aide application to thin or thick packets of material, and modest size facilitating its general purpose use.

Firmly gripping high capacity paper clip

A mailing machine is disclosed having an elongate feed deck, means for feeding envelopes along the feed deck, and a postage meter mounted in the mailing machine and having a printing mechanism disposed in juxtaposition with the feed deck so as to print postage indicia on successive envelopes as they are fed along the feed deck. The mailing machine includes a tape feeding and cutting apparatus mounted above the feed deck and adjacent to the postage meter on the side thereof opposite to the direction of feed of envelopes along the feed deck for feeding successive finite lengths of tape to the postage meter for printing of postage indicia on a portion thereof and for cutting and ejecting the printed portion of the finite length of tape from the mailing machine. The tape feeding and cutting apparatus is constructed and arranged so that all of the tape storing, feeding, severing and ejecting mechanisms of the apparatus are all positioned entirely one one side of the postage meter.

Mailing machine

A system for printing envelopes which includes a laser printer operating under control of a microcomputer. The printer includes a pair of parallel envelope paths for printing pairs of envelopes simultaneously, and also has a capability to print single envelopes as they are transported along the center line of the printer. The microcomputer controls the printer to print sequences of addresses on the envelopes. When envelope are printed in pairs the microcomputer forms subsequences of addresses which are printed on groups of envelopes so that the groups can be concatenated into larger groups with addresses in sequence. Movement through the printer is controlled by pairs of sensor which are 'anded' and symmetrically spaced around the center line so that the sensors can control either a pair of envelopes or a single envelope transported along the center line of the printer.

System for addressing envelopes

The envelope drop stacking apparatus receives envelopes ejected from a mailing machine in a seriatim manner to the stacker. The mailing machine ejects envelopes from an exist along an exist plane to which the drop stacker entrance is aligned. The stacker has an elongated deck extending generally parallel to and vertically below the exist plane and an elongated registration wall extending vertically from the deck and lateral to the exist. A bi-sectional deflector strip has at one end pivotally mounted to the registration wall vertically elevated above the exist plane. A skew section translates the first section of the deflector section to the second section to produce a negative skew of the second section relative to the exist plane. The deflector strip is located to cause the deflector strip's second section to encounter an ejected envelope's leading edge and thereby produces a negatively skewed envelope trajectory. This trajectory is calculated to cause the envelope to be registered against the registration wall.

Variable size envelope drop stacker having means for assuring envelope

An apparatus for producing items in selected configurations and a system, and method for controlling the same. More particularly, an apparatus for producing mail pieces and a system and method for controlling it to produce mail pieces in a variety of configurations are disclosed. The apparatus includes a laser printer and folding sealing apparatus controlled by a data processor. The folder sealer apparatus combines sheets printed by the laser printer with pre-printed sheets and envelope forms, which also may be printed by the laser printer or may be windowed envelopes, folds the sheets as necessary and folds and seals the envelope form about the folded sheets to produce a mail piece. A user inputs a configuration for the mail piece which is translated by the data processor into a data structure and transmitted to the controller of the folder sealer apparatus. The controller controls devices comprised in the laser printer and the folder sealer by executing state routines in accordance with the data structure to produce the mail piece in the defined configuration. Concurrently the data processor transmits text from an output file to the laser printer for printing on printed sheets and envelope forms. The data processor also controls the laser printer to print an address for the mail piece either on an envelope form or on a printed sheet in a position where it will be visible through the envelope. Thus the apparatus is controlled to process an output file stored in the data processor into a mail run having a selected configuration.

System and method for producing items in selected configurations

A mailing machine comprised of a plurality of modules, each of the modules a particular process function on a delivered envelope. The modules are arranged with in a single process station. The comprising modules include a load cell type scale module having means for weighing a envelope, a transport module having means for positioning the envelope in the process station and ejecting the envelope from the process station, a meter module having printing means for imprinting an indicia on the envelope, a platen module having means for causing the envelope to contact the printing means of the meter module, and a inking module having means for causing printing ink to be deposited on the printing means of the meter module. The modules operate in a manner functionally independent of any other module and in a manner. A tape module is included having means for positioning a tape for indicia printing between the meter module. A cutter module is further included having means for cutting the tape porting subsequent to indicia printing thereon.

Modular mailing machine with load cell scale

A poster meter is insertable into and removable from a mail machine base receptacle. The postage meter includes a shutter bar which is slidably mounted to the meter. The shutter bar is positionable between a first position where the shutter bar is located opposite and blocking external access to the indicia plate of the meter and in a second position, the shutter bar is laterally positioned from said indicia plate. The receptacle is pivotally mounted to mailing machine base and includes a shutter bar locking mechanism for engaging the shutter bar in the shutter bar's first position and for slidably positioning the shutter bar between the first and second position. A brush assembly is mounted to the shutter bar for brushing or sweeping the indicia plate upon reciprocal displacement of the shutter bar between the first and second positions.

Apparatus for cleaning postage meter printing indicia

An apparatus for producing items in selected configurations and a system and method for controlling the same. More particularly, an apparatus for producing mail pieces and a system and method for controlling it to produce mail pieces in a variety of configurations are disclosed. The apparatus includes a laser printer and folding sealing apparatus controlled by a data processor. The folder sealer apparatus combines sheets printed by the laser printer with pre-printed sheets and envelope forms, which also may be printed by the laser printer or may be windowed envelopes, folds the sheets as necessary and folds and seals the envelope form about the folded sheets to produce a mail piece. A user inputs a configuration for the mail piece which is translated by the data processor into a data structure and transmitted to the controller of the folder sealer apparatus. The controller controls devices comprised in the laser printer and the folder sealer by executing state routines in accordance with the data structure to produce the mail piece in the defined configuration. Concurrently the data processor transmits text from an output file to the laser printer for printing on printed sheets and envelope forms. The data processor also controls the laser printer to print an address for the mail piece either on an envelope form or on a printed sheet in a position where it will be visible through the envelope. Thus the apparatus is controlled to process an output file stored in the data processor into a mail run having a selected configuration. A mechanism and method for laterally aligning an accumulation of sheets is also disclosed, together with a cantilevered urge roller for the aligning mechanism.

Mechanism and method for laterally aligning an accumulation of sheets

A self-mailing form suitable for use with laser printers and the like. The form is made from a single sheet of paper stock and comprises a rectangular upper portion and a rectangular lower portion joined by a connecting portion. The lower portion is printed with message information and the upper portion is printed with address information and the like on the reverse side of the form. The form is then folded once about the upper edge of the connecting portion so that the obverse sides of the upper and lower portions are adjacent and then again so that the upper edge of the upper portion is brought to the lower edge of the connecting portion, so that the upper portion forms an envelope around the lower portion. The form has adhesive around the edges of the upper portion to seal the resulting envelope. Perforation lines are provided transversely across the form so that after folding a tear strip is formed which includes the connecting portion. Thus, when the recipient removes the tear off strip, the lower portion is separated from the upper portion simultaneously with opening of the envelope.

Single sheet self-mailing form with improved feeding characteristics

A stack height sensor for stacked sheet members includes a switch having an actuator arm positioned adjacent to top edge of the stack at a predetermined level. A flexible 'flogger' or 'scuffer' element is moved along a path which first contacts the top surface of the sheet members, and then slides off the stack edge in the direction of the switch actuator arm. The switch actuator arm is adjusted such that the deflected path of the flexible flogger or scuffer element intercepts the switch for stack heights less than the predetermined value and 'ski jumps' the switch actuator arm for stack heights greater than the predetermined height. The flogger or scuffer elements can be mounted on the disk inverter of a photocopier output section, and the switch output be used to control the position of the stack elevator mechanism. Alternatively a separate hub synchronized for rotation with the disk inverter, can be used to mount the flogger or scuffer elements.

Ski jump stack height sensor

Sheet stack loader and sheet stack unloader arrangements provide load-while-run or unload-while-run capabilities. In a stack loader, a pusher element laterally pushes a stack or receiver into a sheet feed receiver. In a stack unloader, the pusher element pushes a finished stack from a stacking receiver to a removal receiver. By employing smooth paper support surfaces in the receivers, with close side-by-side positioning and an unobstructed path of movement, stacks of sheets of paper can be moved laterally by the pusher mechanism, which engages a side surface of the stack to be moved. Compact drive systems utilizing toggle drives and lead screws are utilized to minimize space requirements. Continuous run capabilities can be provided by auxiliary supply or stacking trays which are operative during the stack transfer sequence.

Sheet feeding and delivering apparatus having stack replenishment and

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

Morton Silverberg