Pitney Bowes Inc.

Steven J DaCunha

Richard F Stengl

Boris Rozenfeld

Anthony E Yap

Gregory P Skinger

Carlos L DeFigueiredo

John J Mercede, Jr

David W Purcell

Thomas P Nash

Arthur H DePol

Jeffrey E Vill

Joseph R Vassallo

Joseph Vasallo

A system for conveying mailpieces along a conveyance path and singulating a mailpiece from a stack of mailpieces along the conveyance path. The system includes a first conveyance for conveying mailpieces at a variable velocity and a second conveyance, downstream of the first conveyance, for conveying mailpieces at a constant velocity along the conveyance path. A series of optical sensors extends from the first to the second conveyance and is operative to issue a gap signal indicative of the relative spacing between sequential mailpieces along the conveyance path. A processor is responsive to the gap signal and is operative to control the first conveyance to decrease the relative spacing between sequential mailpieces when the gap signal exceeds a threshold value.

System for controlling mailpiece conveyance in a mailpiece feeder

A system for singulating mailpieces including a first conveyance including a pair of opposing belts for singulating a mailpiece from a stack of mailpieces. The system includes an actuation mechanism operative to apply a force pulse through one of the belts to momentary separate mailpieces of the stack and augment singulation of the mailpiece from the stack by the first conveyance.

Traction control for singulating mailpieces in a mailpiece feeder

A registration device for use in combination with an array of print head nozzles and operative to deposit ink on a substrate material. The registration device is operative to maintain a prescribed separation distance between an array of print head nozzles and a substrate material during print operations and includes a registration surface which opposes a face surface of the substrate material and is textured to define a plurality of contact points. The contact points are substantially evenly distributed over, and engage, the face surface of the substrate material, to reduce the total surface area in contact with the substrate material and the particulate matter which may be shed from, and/or produced by frictional engagement with, the substrate material.

Device for mitigating the production/removal of particulate matter from a substrate/mailpiece envelope

A system for conveying mailpieces along a feed path including first and second conveyances. A first conveyance is operative to convey mailpieces along the feed path and includes a singulating and drive belt. The singulating and drive belts define a throat or singulating a mailpiece from the stack of mailpieces. A second conveyance accepts mailpieces from the first conveyance and conveys singulated mailpiece downstream of the first conveyance. The system further includes a series of sensors extending from the first to the second conveyance for issuing a gap signal indicative of the relative spacing between sequential mailpieces along the feed path. Additionally, the system includes a means to vary the velocity of the drive belt based upon the location of the gap signal along the series of sensors.

System for controlling a drive belt in a mailpiece feeder

A method of singulating overlapping items includes receiving the overlapping items in a singulation device, the device including a first transport element configured for rotation in a first direction and a second transport element in opposing relation to the first transport element, wherein the second transport element is configured for rotation in a second direction opposite to the first direction. The method further includes rotating the first transport element at a first transport speed, rotating the second transport element at a second transport speed substantially equal to the first transport speed, conveying the overlapping items between the transport elements along a transport path, decreasing the second transport speed to singulate the overlapping items, decreasing the first transport speed to reduce a speed of a lead item, and transporting the lead item away from the singulation device.

Transport for singulating items

A method of transporting items includes receiving a group of one or more items in a singulation device, implementing a singulation routine, measuring a speed of a first portion of the group, measuring a speed of a second portion of the group, and comparing the speed of the first portion with the speed of the second portion. The method may further include continuing the singulation routine where the speed of the first portion is not equal to the speed of the second portion, and terminating the singulation routine where the speed of the first portion is equal to the speed of the second portion. The method may also include transporting a lead item away from the singulation device. The singulation device may include opposing transport elements.

Item transport with singulation detection

A method and system for correcting the skew in mail-related items, which are caused to move by a driving mechanism in the mailing machine. The driving mechanism comprises at least two driving belts to drive the mail-related items by friction. A plurality of openings are provided on the driving belts so that air pressure can be applied to the mail-related items in order to change the friction between different driving belts and the mail-related items. The air pressure can be positive or negative and it can be applied on the left or right side, or on both sides but with different pressures.

Method and apparatus for controlling feeding of sheets

A clamping device for securing a mechanical driven component to a drive shaft. The clamping device including a clamping member having a securing mechanism that fixedly secures the clamping member to the drive shaft. The clamping device further includes an elongate cylindrical hub member unitarily formed with the clamping member with the hub member having an outer circumference configured to secure to a mechanical driven component.

Clamp for securing mechanical drive components to a shaft

A feeding module for use in an envelope inserting machine. The feeding module comprises a mounting support fixedly mounted on the chassis of the machine, and a sheet feeder releasably mounted on the mounting support, wherein the sheet feeder comprises a tray for supporting a stack of the sheets and a retrieving mechanism for retrieving one sheet at a time from the bottom of the stack. The retrieved sheet is guided through a curved channel to the moving belt of the inserting machine. The channel is formed by two curved panels, one of which can be lifted away from the other for jam clearance.

Removable sheet feeder with jam clearance for use in an envelope inserting machine

A sheet feeder having a driving mechanism to release sheets of document from a stack out of an exit nip, one sheet at a time. A retard mechanism is used to prevent other sheets from being drawn out of the exit nip by the frictional force between the sheets. The retard mechanism has a frictional surface driven by a cylinder, which is allowed to rotate freely in only one direction to move the frictional surface against the editing direction of the released sheet. The driving mechanism is programmed to move backward in an intermittent manner to move the sheets in the bottom of the stack away from the exit nip so as to cause the cylinder to rotate in order to spread out the wear of the frictional surface. Preferably, the frictional surface has a plurality of cuts in a helical or partially helical pattern.

Method of improving retard mechanism in friction feeders

A collating system having a plurality of feeders to release enclosure materials onto a deck and a plurality of pusher finger pairs moving along the deck for collating the released materials. The pusher finger pairs are mounted on a pair of moving belts at pre-determined positions. A sensing device is used to monitor whether any pusher finger is missing, broken or out of alignment, thereby rendering a pusher finger pair non-functioning. If a pusher finger pair is not functioning, the cell or pocket associated with that pusher finger pair will be marked &ldquo;damaged&rdquo; so that the feeders release enclosure materials only to the cells associated with functional pusher finger pairs.

Method and apparatus for controlling enclosure material feeding in a mail inserting system

A method and system for aligning a moving stack of sheets. A pair of cams, positioned on opposite sides of the moving stack, rotate synchronously to each other but in opposite directions. When the stack approaches the cams, the distance between the outer surfaces of the cams is wider to the stack width to receive the stack. As the stack moves forward further, the distance between the cam surfaces is reduced so as to allow the cam surfaces push the sheets toward a center line until the distance between the cam surfaces is substantially equal to the width of the sheets. In a sheet collator where sheets are moved by a plurality of finger pairs which are linked to a moving chain, the cam can also be linked to the moving chain so that their rotation is synchronous to motion of the stacks.

Method and system for aligning moving sheets

A method and apparatus for reducing burden in retrieving sheets of material from the bottom of a substantially vertical stack of sheets in a sheet feeder. The apparatus comprises a first convex surface at the bottom half of the stack protruding into one side of the stack for pushing the sheets toward the other side, and a second convex surface on the second side below the first convex surface for pushing the sheets toward the first side. The first and second convex surfaces each provide a counteracting force resisting the downward movement of the stack, and these countering forces have upward vertical components partially countering the downward vertical force due to the weight of the stack.

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West Hartford, CT, United States of America

Steven J DaCunha