Pitney Bowes Inc.

Robert Irvine

Harry E Luperti

Anthony Luvara

Harold Silverman

Frank T Roetter

Robert E Manna

James S Ramsey

Robert E Mersereau

Willis R Stearns

L Neil Kanning

John G O'Brien

Edward R Hordeski

Robert S Salzman

Keith Bayliss

Edward Govan

Method and apparatus for half folding sequentially and nesting a plurality of paper sheets. The apparatus includes a buckle chute folder, the folder having a first pair of feed rollers rotatable at a given velocity, and a device for continuously feeding the paper sheets in shingled relationship at a second velocity greater than the given velocity to the feed rollers. The shingled relationship is defined by an overlap of the sheets of at least one-half of the length of the sheets. By using the apparatus and method, any desired number of sheets may be folded sequentially and nested one inside the other.

Method and apparatus for half folding paper sheets

A reversible collating machine for stacking sheets of paper being fed seriatim thereto from a singulating feeder in the same or reverse order as the sheets appear in the singulating feeder. The reversible collating machine includes a housing, apparatus secured to the housing for rotatably mounting endless, elastic belts, at least one upper, endless, elastic belt rotatably mounted to the mounting apparatus, and at least one lower, endless, elastic belt rotatably mounted to the mounting apparatus. Each of the belts includes an upper and a lower reach, the lower reach of the upper belt being situated slightly above the upper reach of the lower belt to thereby frictionally engage and transport the sheets of paper. The collating machine further includes a frame slidably mounted to the housing, the frame being movable between an upstream and a downstream position, an upper ramp guide block secured to the frame, and a lower ramp guide block secured to the frame. The lower block has an L-shaped downstream portion, whereby when the frame is located in the upstream position collation in one of the two orders is effected and when the frame is located in the downstream position the other of the two orders is effected.

Standard and reverse collator

A collating station is disclosed for a machine intended to insert first and second documents into an envelope. Prior to the insertion operation, the first and second documents are advanced serially in a common plane. At a predetermined location, each first document is intercepted and lifted above the common plane and moved to a holding platform spaced above the common plane. The holding platform has a transverse terminal edge downstream from where the first document comes to rest. Thereupon, the first document resting on the holding platform and a following second document which continues to advance along the common plane as the first document travels toward the holding platform are advanced together in a parallel spaced relationship, toward a downstream station. As the documents are advanced, the first document drops off the terminal edge of the holding platform and onto the second document thereby completing the collating operation. Additionally, movement of the first document is positively controlled as it is guided to locations above the common plane, thereby assuring proper collation of the first and second documents. The desired sequence of events can be achieved by means of a variable computer control, or by a fixed timing sequence built into the machine, or by sensors and associated activating devices, or by a combination of these expedients.

Collating station for inserting machine

A document collating and inserting system having displays for document count verification. A plurality of bank checks belonging to a check set are fed, counted and stacked at a stacking station while simultaneously an associated statement is fed to an imaging station where a number imprinted thereon is imaged by a video camera and displayed on a video monitor. The number represents a predetermined number which should equal the actual number of checks counted, the actual count also being displayed. An operator makes a visual comparison of the two displayed numbers and, if they are in agreement, initiates a cycle of the system thereby forming a collation of the statement and checks and transporting them to a holding station. From the holding station the collation is inserted within an envelope provided by an envelope feeder during the next cycle of the system. If the two numbers are not in agreement a mismatch switch is provided for the operator to activate before cycling the system. After indicating the mismatch the operator must remove the erroneous collation from the holding station in order to cycle the system once again. After removing the erroneous collation and cycling the system, an envelope is not provided by the envelope feeder, thereby avoiding the possibility of inadvertently postage metering and mailing an empty envelope.

Document collating and inserting system having displays for document

An improved separator assembly for document feeders comprises a retarding roller and a cooperating opposed feed roller. The retarding roller is selectably rotatable into orientations such that the selected one of a plurality of different peripheral portions of the retarding roller will be oriented into operative position with respect to the feed roller. The retarding roller includes at least one cylindrical portion and another portion which has an interfering member projecting outwardly from the roller. Other surfaces of the retarding roller may comprise different materials in order to avoid scratches on the documents to be fed or to change the frictional force on the documents.

Separator for a document feeder

A bursting machine is provided for separating discrete sheets from a continuous strip of sheets having uniformly spaced perforation lines across the width of the strip. A gauging device with numerical increments in the form of a linear scale is manually compared to the length of the discrete sheets to provide a predetermined number corresponding to a pulse count for entering into a control device through a manually settable device. The control device in turn is operatively connected to an electronic pulse counter. When the leading edge of the strip advances a predetermined increment after passing through a sensing device located downstream in the path of travel with respect to a first pair of feed rollers, a pulse generator attached to the driven first feed roller is actuated to generate pulses for counting to reach the preset number in the pulse counter. When the preset number is reached, a second pair of feed rollers is stopped through disablement of an electromagnetic clutch and enablement of a brake while the leading sheet is continued to be conveyed downstream by the first pair of feed rollers to effect a burst.

Bursting machine

An improvement in a collating machine for stacking sheets of paper being fed seriatim thereto from a singulating feeder in the same order as the sheets appear in the singulating feeder. The collating machine includes a belt for transporting the sheets of paper, a ramp for lifting a succeeding sheet of paper over and onto a preceding, stopped sheet of paper, and a stopping device for stopping each sheet of paper after the sheet has been lifted by the ramp. The improvement includes a removable stacking device for stacking the sheets of paper in the reverse order as the sheets appear in the singulating feeder.

Reverse collating machine

A document feeding device having a hopper oriented at an acute angle with respect to a horizontal plane, the hopper having an upstream aperture and a downstream aperture and able to support a pack of documents to be fed therefrom, a device situated at the lower end of the hopper for feeding documents seriatim from the hopper, a first pulley whose outer surface extends slightly through the downstream aperture and a second pulley whose outer surface extends slightly through the upstream aperture, and a double sided timing belt mounted on the first and second pulleys and riding on the upper surface of the hopper. The document feeding device also includes a switch in contact with the lead document of the pack of documents, the switch having contacts which close when the angle of repose of the pack of documents relative to the hopper is sufficiently decreased, and a solenoid operatively connected to one of the pulleys and to the switch, wherein when the contacts are closed, the solenoid is energized to index the one pulley, whereby the timing belt is indexed forward, thereby moving the pack of documents forward and maintaining the pack of documents at an optimum pack pressure and angle of repose for seriatim feeding.

Document feeding device

A stopping mechanism in an inserting machine having a feeder for feeding documents seriatim to a transport deck therebelow, the feeder being angled with respect to the deck. The stopping mechanism stops the documents at a predetermined position with respect to a previously collated package situated on a ramp located upstream of the deck and elevated with respect to the deck. The stopping mechanism comprises a pivotable paddle located downstream of the feeder substantially parallel to the direction of feed, a device for biasing the lower end of the paddle away from the transport deck to permit a collated package to pass therebelow without contacting the pivotable paddle, and a device for pivoting the lower end of the paddle downward adjacent the transport deck for a short period of time at an appropriate moment in order to stop the forward motion of a document exiting the feeder at a predetermined position on the transport deck.

Inserter feeder document stop

An improvement in a document feeding device having a hopper oriented at an acute angle with respect to a horizontal plane and able to support a pack of documents to be fed seriatim therefrom. The improvement comprises at least one pad having a high coefficient of friction material situated on the upper surface of the hopper whereby the effect of the weight of the documents situated in the hopper above the pad on the pressure of the pack situated below the pad is decreased.

Document feeder

A document stacking and conveying apparatus has a plurality of document stacking and conveying units which are disposed at one end of a third elongate document stacking and conveying apparatus. The third unit has a conveyor for moving a stack of documents while a compressing device holds another stack which is stationary upon the conveyor deck of the third unit so that the moving stack of documents can be added to the downstream stack.

Document stacking and conveying apparatus

Sheet processing apparatus including a bursting machine for feeding and bursting a continuous web along perforation lines, a folding machine for folding the sheets from the bursting machine and an inserting machine for inserting the folded sheets into an envelope, and [i] a device for removably connecting the bursting machine to the folding machine, [ii] a device for removably connecting the folding machine to the inserting machine and [iii] a device for removably connecting the bursting machine directly to the inserting machine in the absence of the folding machine; controls operatively interconnected between the inserting machine and the folding machine for controlling the sequential operation of the folding machine with the cyclical operation of the inserting machine so that the folding machine operates on demand from the inserting machine; controls operatively interconnected between the folding machine and the bursting machine for controlling the sequential operation of the bursting machine in timed relationship with the cyclical operation of the folding machine so that the bursting machine operates on demand from the folding machine; controls operatively interconnected between the bursting machine and the inserting machine for controlling the operation of the bursting machine by the inserting machine in the absence of the folding machine; and controls in the bursting machine for controlling the operation of the bursting machine in the absence of both the folding machine and the inserting machine.

Sheet processing apparatus

A bursting apparatus for separating sheets in a continuous intermittently perforated form web is disclosed. The apparatus includes a feed roller, a burst roller and a bursting device, said bursting device disposed between said feed roller and said burst roller and comprising two horizontally positioned cone sections wherein their base portions are adjacent to each other and are encircled at least in part by a bursting ring, said bursting ring having a portion extending beyond said cone base portions in at least a portion of its outer periphery.

Perforation burst cone device

A sheet feeding method is disclosed that provides two feed strokes for each feed cycle. Each sheet may be fed during the first stroke. In the event, however, that the sheet fails to feed during this first stroke, the second stroke of the cycle will enable the sheet to be fed. The sheet feeding device comprises an over-head feed roller that is biased into contact with the top sheet of a stack of sheets. The feed roller has forward courses and a backward course of travel during each feed cycle.

Method for sheet feeding

For use with a copier of the type which includes a document illuminating station, a platen at the illuminating station and instrumentalities for flash illuminating respective documents of different thickness at the illuminating station, there is provided a document feeder which includes a plurality of document feeding instrumentalities. A first feeding instrumentality, which is provided for feeding respective documents of different thickness to the platen, includes a first roller disposable in feeding engagement with the respective documents. In addition, a second feeding instrumentality is provided for feeding such documents from the platen, and a third feeding instrumentality is provided for feeding such documents both to and from the platen. Apparatus is provided for translating the first roller into document feeding engagement with the respective documents in response to inserting such documents into document feeding relationship with respect to the first roller.

Growing community of inventors

Riverside, CT, United States of America

Robert Irvine