Pitney Bowes Inc.

Steven E Cohen

James A Salomon

Eric A Belec

Anthony E Yap

Donald E Barker

Dean H Foster

Arnold T Eventoff

Denis J Stemmle, Sr

Robert P Rebres

Dennis C Inglesias

Cyndee Jonas

Eric D Kolb

The present invention describes a double belt transport system for moving a mailpiece into a printing area of a digital printer. The transport system includes an upper belt and a lower belt. The upper belt has a straight section to form a nip with the lower belt to ingest the mailpiece. The straight section also defines a registration plane to register the upper surface of the mailpiece with respect to the print head of the printer. In order to make sure the registration is consistent regardless of the thickness of the mailpiece, an up-lifting mechanism is used to push the bottom of the mailpiece in an upward direction against a shield plate, which is positioned substantially on the registration plane. A velocity measurement device, such as an optical encoder, is used to measure the moving speed of the belts so that the printing speed of the digital printer matches the moving speed of the mailpiece in the print area.

Method and system for transporting mailpieces in a printing station

A two-stage document singulating apparatus includes first and second singulators disposed along a document feed path. The first singulator acts to separate individual documents from a stack which are subject to a stack advance mechanism force. The second singulator separates multifeeds that pass through the first singulator and which are no longer subject to the stack advance mechanism force.

Two-stage document 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

An apparatus has a transport mechanism for transporting mailpieces to a printing and weighing station. The apparatus also includes a weighing device; a printing mechanism operatively associated with the weighing device to form the printing and weighing station; a carriage assembly moveably mounted in the apparatus, the printing mechanism removeably supported on the carriage assembly to move therewith between the printing and weighing station and at least a second station; and structure to transfer complete support of the printing mechanism from the carriage assembly to the weighing device during movement of the printing mechanism into the printing and weighing station.

Apparatus and method for positioning and isolating a printing mechanism

Apparatus for accumulating sheets of material. The apparatus includes: a housing; a continuous web of sheet material supported by the housing; a device to advance the continuous web; a device to sever the continuous web into strips of a desired length; and a device for accumulating a strip or a plurality of strips into a single collation, wherein the plurality includes one or more strips of a given length and only one strip of a variable length equal to or less than the given length.

Accumulator for paper of different lengths

A counterbalance device for a mail processing system includes a cover; a base; a support arm fixedly mounted to one of the cover and the base and articulately mounted to the other of the cover and the base such that the cover and the base pivot relative to each other; a device for counterbalancing the one of the cover and the base to create a predetermined force profile throughout a full range of pivoting movement of the one of the cover and the base from a closed position to a fully opened position relative to the other of the cover and the base. The predetermined force profile represents the net force acting on the one of the cover and the base at each point in the full range of pivoting movement. The counterbalancing device includes a cam operatively connected to pivot with the one of the cover and base, a follower arm pivotally connected to the other of the cover and the base, a roller mounted on the follower arm and a biasing means mounted to pivot with the one of the cover and the base and being connected to the follower arm for biasing the roller against the cam such that during pivoting of the one of the cover and the base through the full range of pivoting movement the roller follows a shape of the cam.

Growing community of inventors

Seymour, CT, United States of America

Steven E Cohen