Pitney Bowes Inc.

Philip Pollak, Jr

Keith E Schubert

John L Lorenzo

Charles M Weimer

David B Albright

Edilberto I Salazar

Wallace Kirschner

Joseph F Miciukiewicz

Clinton E Hooper

John W Bach

A mailing system including a postage meter adaptable to either a high-speed mailing machine capable of parallel postal value selection or a low-speed mailing machine capable of serial value selection is disclosed. The postage meter includes a print drum with printing value members. A rod extends outwardly from the drum. The rod contains linear racks that are axially located above the horizontal centerline of the rod. The linear racks interact with the value members to provide the proper value setting. Attached to the postage meter are a plurality of cross-over shafts with pinion gears. The gears engage the racks to facilitate value selection. In the high-speed mailing machine, a series of drive members engage the shafts. Apparatus within the high-speed mailing machine causes the shafts to rotate in a parallel fashion to allow for postal value selection to facilitate postal printing. In the low-speed mailing machine, one drive member engages on e shaft of the postage meter. Apparatus within the low-speed mailing machine causes the pinion gear to engage a rack to provide the proper print value. The apparatus in the low-speed machine also causes the drum member to rotate so that the other racks can be serially acted upon by that shaft-pinion gear arrangement to provide the proper postal value to facilitate postal printing. In accordance with this embodiment, a locking device is utilized to prevent inadvertent movement of the adjacent rack members when one rack is being adjusted.

Postal mailing system having an adaptable postage meter

An improvement in combination with a postage meter including a rotary drum having a periphery adapted for feeding a sheet in a path of travel. The improvement comprises: a first device for sensing a time interval during which a sheet is linearly displaced a predetermined distance in the path of travel; a d.c. motor coupled to the drum for rotation of the drum; a second device for sensing angular displacement of the drum; and a computer coupled to the first and second sensing devices and to the d.c. motor; wherein the computer responds to the first sensing device for providing respective amounts representative of desired angular displacements of the drum during successive sampling time periods, responds to the second sensing device for providing respective amounts representative of actual angular displacements of the drum during successive sampling time periods, compensates for the difference between desired and actual angular displacements and generates a d.c. motor control signal for controlling rotation of the motor to cause the linear displacement of the periphery of the drum to substantially match the linear displacement of the sheet during respective sampling time periods.

Microprocessor controlled d.c. motor and application therefor

A mailing system including a postage meter adaptable to either a high-speed mailing machine capable of parallel postal value selection or a low-speed mailing machine capable of serial value selection is disclosed. The postage meter includes a print drum with printing value members, a rod extends outwardly from the drum, the rod contains linear racks that are axially located above the horizontal center line of the rod, the linear racks interact with the value members to provide the proper value setting. Attached to the postage meter are a plurality of cross-over shafts with pinion gears, the pinion gears engage the racks to facilitate value selection. The postage meter also includes a rotary shutter device, the shutter device prevents unauthorized movement of the rack members and unintended rotation of the drum member. A cam bar arrangement within the postage meter interacts with the mailing machine to produce the above-mentioned actions.

Rotary shutter device for a postal mailing system

For interconnecting a postage meter and an actuator apparatus for operating the postage meter, wherein the postage meter includes a lever which is positionable in a plurality of postage value selecting positions, and the actuator includes a member for positioning the postage meter lever; there is provided a gauge for adjusting the spatial relationship between the postage meter and actuator, and a lever extension device for fixing the spatial relationship between the postage meter lever and lever position member.

Apparatus for interconnecting an actuator and a postage meter

A process for interconnecting a postage meter and apparatus for operating the postage meter; wherein the postage meter includes a lever which is positionable in a plurality of postage value selecting positions, and the apparatus includes a member for positioning the postage meter lever. The process comprises the steps of fixing the spatial relationship between the postage meter and meter operating apparatus, and then fixing the spatial relationship between the postage meter lever and lever positioning member.

Process for interconnecting an actuator and a postage meter

An improvement in an actuator adapted to be removably mounted in an operating relationship with respect to a postage meter having a postage value selecting lever positionable in a plurality of positions, one of the positions being a home position. The actuator includes a base having an aperture formed therein through which the postage meter lever extends when the actuator is mounted in the operating relationship with respect to the postage meter. The actuator also includes apparatus for positioning the postage meter lever in the home position for removing the actuator. In addition, the actuator includes means for securing the postage meter lever against inadvertent movement, in particular when an attempt is made to remove the actuator out of the operating relationship with respect to the postage meter prior to returning the postage meter lever to the home position.

Actuator for postage meter

An encoder is provided for a postage meter having a lever which is movable between a plurality of postage value selecting positions. The encoder includes framework adapted for removably mounting the encoder in operating relationship with respect to the postage meter, and includes instrumentalities for monitoring movement of the postage meter lever when the encoder is operationally mounted. Preferably, the monitoring means includes means for providing an electrical signal which varies in response to movement of the postage meter lever from one of its positions to another.

Encoder for postage meter

A postage meter conversion apparatus is disclosed that will convert a mechanical, lever operated postage meter into an electrically controlled postage meter. The conversion apparatus is easily assembled to and disassembled from a standard lever operated postage meter. Each lever of the meter is operated simultaneously. The conversion apparatus is so constructed that all the levers of the meter can be actuated at once. Optical monitors are provided to control the operation of the conversion unit so that the setting of the postage amount may be achieved. The conversion apparatus can be used to make the mechanical meter compatible in an electrical environment containing equipment such as a computer, a digital scale, and other postage system processing devices.

Simultaneously controlled postage meter conversion apparatus

An apparatus is disclosed for loading a master onto and unloading the master from the rotating master cylinder in a lithographic printing machine at substantially the same angular position of cylinder rotation. The apparatus includes external grippers for gripping a master edge and moving it into the proximity of the cylinder through a master delivery path. Internal grippers for gripping and later releasing the master edge in the proximity of the cylinder are mounted in the cylinder and are extendable beyond the cylinder surface during a first angular sector of cylinder rotation to describe a master receiving path that intersects the master delivery path in a loading merger region. The internal grippers are also extendable beyond the cylinder surface in a second angular sector of cylinder rotation to describe a master release path. A stripper chute for unloading the master from the cylinder is movable into the proximity of the cylinder to describe a master stripping path that intersects the master release path in an unloading merger region. These three master handling components are operated in coordinated fashion by related mechanisms which include a transfer actuator that operates the external grippers to grip a master edge and deliver it to and release it in the loading merger region. A load control mechanism selectively operates the internal grippers to traverse the master receiving path, grip the delivered master edge, and later traverse the master release path and release the master edge in the unloading merger region.

Growing community of inventors

Westport, CT, United States of America

Philip Pollak, Jr