Pitney Bowes Inc.

Robert P Rebres

Steven A Supron

James A Salomon

Eric A Belec

Anthony E Yap

Kenneth A Schulz

Franklin J Buckley

Christopher D Clark

Geoffrey S Coleman

Dennis C Inglesias

Norman R Lilly

Neil F Baldino

Steven E Cohen

Christopher Uschmann

An envelope stripping apparatus is disclosed for opening and holding open the flaps of envelopes or mail processed in a mailing machine or other envelope-processing machine. The flaps of the envelopes are held down against a vacuum plenum during transport of the envelope. The envelopes are fed along the feeding path towards a moistening device while the flap is stripped and held by the vacuum plenum. An arrangement of the plenum apertures is such that stiffer portions of the flaps have more vacuum applied than those that are of lesser area, or at the extreme end of the flap. A second arrangement of the envelope flaps will cause additional holding of the end of the flap if it is a larger envelope with a greater area at the end such as a square flap.

Envelope stripping apparatus

A system and method for managing overflow of moistening fluid in a mailing machine is provided. An overflow pipe is provided in the reservoir, positioned over a sump located beneath the reservoir. The top of the overflow pipe in the reservoir is located slightly above the moistening fluid normal operating level in the reservoir. In the event the level of the moistening fluid rises above the normal operating level to a point above the top of the overflow pipe, the moistening fluid will flow through the overflow pipe and into the sump. The sump contains an absorbent material to absorb any moistening fluid that flows into the sump, thereby preventing the moistening fluid from sloshing out of the sump if the mailing machine is moved. The moistening fluid absorbed by the absorbent material will eventually evaporate, thereby preventing any leakage of the moistening fluid from the mailing machine.

System and method for managing overflow of moistening fluid in a mailing machine

The present invention includes apparatus and methods for guiding a mail piece traversing a mailing machine. A multi-ski guide can include an inner ski with one or more contact bumps positioned to engage a mail piece prior to its edge encountering a stripper blade. The multi-ski guide can be attached to a take away idler shaft located just prior to the stripping blade. A spring can provide a normal force holding the multi-ski guide down onto the top of the stripping blade. The multi-ski guide can contact the stripping blade with a contact bump. In addition, one or more inner skis can include mail piece guiding contact bumps. Idler segments can be interspersed between the skis included in the multi-ski guide such that the idler segments can guide and straighten a mail piece approaching the stripper blade.

Floating stripping skis for mailing machine

A singulator apparatus includes a forwardly driving device and a reverse driving mechanism which operate together to separate individual articles from a stack of articles being transported thereto from an upstream feeding device. The singulator further includes a sensor which detects the presence of articles at the articles ingestion nip defined between the forwardly driving device and the reverse driving mechanism. A controller stops operation of the feeding device upon detection of the presence of articles by the sensor and initiate feeding by the feeding device if no articles are sensed by the sensor.

Singulating apparatus for a mail handling system

A nudger including apparatus for applying a feed force to a lead mailpiece of the stack of mixed mail to feed the lead mailpiece of the stack along a mailpiece feed path, the applying apparatus being moveable between first and second positions; structure for biasing the applying apparatus against a face of the lead mailpiece thereby generating a stack force against a stack of mixed mail; and a stack advance mechanism for moving the stack of mixed mail so that the face of the lead mailpiece contacts the applying apparatus; wherein at times when the applying apparatus is in the first position the stack advance mechanism moves the stack of mixed mail in the direction of the applying apparatus causing the applying apparatus to move from the first position to the second position against the biasing structure such that the stack force increases causing a corresponding increase in the feed force; and further wherein at times when the applying apparatus is in the second position the stack advance mechanism stops moving the stack of mixed mail and the applying apparatus continuously feeds mailpieces away from the stack of mixed mail along the mailpiece feed path thereby continuously reducing the size of the stack of mixed mail so that the biasing structure gradually moves the applying apparatus from the second position to the first position and the stack force gradually decreases during movement of the applying apparatus from the second position to the first position.

Nudger for a mail handling system

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Southbury, CT, United States of America

Robert P Rebres