Patent Grant
7067036
This invention relates generally to mailing systems, and more particularly to a moistener system for moistening an envelope flap of an envelope being processed by a mailing machine.
Mailing systems, such as, for example, a mailing machine, often include different modules that automate the processes of producing mail pieces. The typical mailing machine includes a variety of different modules or sub-systems each of which performs a different task on the mail piece. The mail piece is conveyed downstream utilizing a transport mechanism, such as rollers or a belt, to each of the modules. Such modules could include, for example, a singulating module, i.e., separating a stack of mail pieces such that the mail pieces are conveyed one at a time along the transport path, a moistening/sealing module, i.e., wetting and closing the glued flap of an envelope, a weighing module, and a metering module, i.e., applying evidence of postage to the mail piece. The exact configuration of the mailing machine is, of course, particular to the needs of the user.
In the moistening/sealing module, a moistening device includes an apparatus for moistening the glue line on flaps of envelopes in preparation for sealing the envelopes in either a mailing machine or an inserter, and may also include a mechanism for moistening a tape. Moistening devices generally fall into two categories: contact and non-contact moistening systems. Contact moistening systems generally deposit a moistening fluid, such as, for example, water or water with a biocide, onto the glue line on a flap of an envelope by contacting the glue line with a wetted applicator. Non-contact systems generally spray the moistening fluid onto the envelope flap.
In contact systems, the wetted applicator typically consists of a contact media such as a brush, foam or felt. The applicator is, at least part of the time, in contact with a wick. The wick is generally a woven material, such as, for example, felt, or can also be a foam material. At least a portion of the wick is located in a reservoir containing the moistening fluid. The moistening fluid is transferred from the wick to the applicator by physical contact pressure between the wick and applicator, thereby wetting the applicator. An envelope flap is guided between the wick and the applicator, such that the applicator contacts the glue line on the flap of the envelope, thereby transferring the moistening fluid to the flap to activate the glue. The flap is then closed and sealed, such as, for example, by passing the closed envelope through a nip of a sealer roller to compress the envelope and flap together, and the envelope is then passed to the next module for continued processing.
There are problems, however, with conventional contact moistening systems. For example, in conventional contact moistening systems, it is difficult to accurately control the quantity of moistening fluid being transferred from the applicator to the envelope flap. If not enough moistening fluid is applied (“under-wetting”), the envelope flap will not properly seal to the envelope body. If too much moistening fluid is applied (“over-wetting”), the excess moistening fluid can cause damage to the envelope and/or its contents. Excessive moistening can also negatively impact any printing performed on the envelope, such as, for example, a postage indicium. For example, if the printing is being done by an ink-jet printer, an excessive amount of moisture will cause the ink to run, thereby possibly rendering any printed information illegible.
There are a number of factors which may cause variations in the degree of wetting of the moistening system applicator, and thus cause variations in the amount of moistening fluid applied to the envelope flap. Among these factors are: the number and/or rate of transport and/or size of envelopes processed by the moistening system; the level of moistening fluid in the reservoir; and environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and/or altitude. Furthermore, in some cases where a high volume of mail is being processed in a limited time, the amount of moistening fluid that the wick can transfer to the applicator in a given period of time is insufficient to keep the applicator adequately moistened in view of the amount of moistening fluid being removed from the applicator by contact with envelope flaps.
Thus, there exists a need for a contact moistening system in which a greater quantity of moistening fluid can be transferred to the applicator within a given period of time and/or the amount of moistening fluid transferred to the applicator can be controlled to adapt to varying mail processing requirements and/or environmental conditions.
Accordingly, an improved envelope flap moistening mechanism for a mailing machine is provided. An improved device for moistening an envelope flap includes a reservoir for holding a moistening fluid, an applicator mounted above the reservoir for applying the moistening fluid to the envelope flap, and a fluid transfer member that is mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis. The fluid transfer member is for transferring fluid from the reservoir to the applicator while the transfer member rotates.
The fluid transfer member may include a plurality of pairs of opposed substantially vertical surfaces. The surfaces of each pair of surfaces are separated by a distance that is sufficiently small to allow moistening fluid to be held between the surfaces by surface tension of the fluid to raise the moistening fluid above a surface of the fluid in the reservoir as the transfer member is rotated. At least some of the surfaces of the pairs of opposed surfaces may be substantially annular.
The fluid transfer member may include a substantially cylindrical hub portion and a plurality of generally annular fins extending radially outwardly from the hub portion. At least some of the fins may each terminate in a knife edge oriented so as to point away from the hub portion of the fluid transfer member. The plurality of fins may include a first plurality of fins having a first diameter and terminated in a knife edge and a second plurality of fins interspersed with the fins of the first plurality of fins and having a second diameter that is less than the first diameter.
The flap moistening device may further include a brush mounted in the reservoir and positioned to be combed by the fins of the fluid transfer member as the fluid transfer member rotates.
The applicator may include a brush (different from the brush mounted in the reservoir) and the applicator brush may be mounted so as to pivot between an upper position in which the envelope flap is interposed between the applicator brush and the fluid transfer member and a lower position in which the applicator brush is combed by the fins of the fluid transfer member.
The flap moistening device may further include a drive mechanism coupled to the fluid transfer member for rotationally driving the fluid transfer member, and a control mechanism operatively connected to the drive mechanism for selecting a rotational rate at which the drive mechanism drives the fluid transfer member. The control mechanism may select the rotational rate at which the drive mechanism drives the fluid transfer member based at least in part on at least one of (a) a rate at which envelopes are transported past the applicator, and (b) a size of at least one envelope transported or to be transported past the applicator.
In addition, or alternatively, the flap moistening device may include a sensing mechanism that is operatively connected to the control mechanism and that senses at least one environmental condition, and the control mechanism may select the rotational rate at which the drive mechanism rotationally drives the fluid transfer member based at least in part on a signal output from the sensing mechanism. The term “environmental condition”, as used herein and in the appended claims, should be understood to include at least one of the ambient temperature for the flap moistening device, the ambient humidity, the ambient air pressure and the altitude at which the flap moistening device is located.
In one or more other embodiments, the flap moistening device may additionally or alternatively include another sensing mechanism, also operatively connected to the control mechanism, that detects a length of an envelope transported past the applicator, and the control mechanism may select the rotational rate at which the drive mechanism rotationally drives the fluid transfer member based at least in part on a signal output from the envelope length sensing mechanism.
The envelope flap moistening device may also include a mechanism for defining an envelope transport path along which envelopes are transported, with the applicator being positioned adjacent the envelope transport path.
In another aspect of the invention, a method for moistening an envelope flap includes rotating a fluid transfer member about a horizontal axis to transfer moistening fluid to an applicator, and contacting the applicator with the envelope flap to transfer the moistening fluid from the applicator to the flap.
The method may further include selecting a rotational rate of the fluid transfer member from among a plurality of rotational rates. In addition, at least one environmental condition may be sensed, and the selecting of the rotational rate may be based at least in part on a result of the sensing of the environmental condition.
The applicator may include a brush, and the method may further include pivoting the brush between an upper position in which the envelope flap is interposed between the brush and the fluid transfer member and a lower position in which the fluid transfer member combs the brush.
In still another aspect of the invention, a device for moistening an envelope flap includes a transport mechanism for transporting an envelope along an envelope feed path, a reservoir positioned below the envelope feed path and holding a moistening fluid, and a mechanism for replenishing the moistening fluid in the reservoir to maintain a substantially constant level of the moistening fluid in the reservoir. The flap moistening device according to this aspect of the invention further includes a first brush pivotally mounted adjacent the envelope feed path for transferring moistening fluid to a flap of an envelope transported along the envelope feed path, and a fluid transfer member that includes a substantially cylindrical hub portion and a plurality of generally annular fins extending radially outwardly from the hub portion of the fluid transfer member. The plurality of fins of the fluid transfer member include adjacent pairs of fins. The fins of each adjacent pair are separated by a distance that is sufficiently small to allow moistening fluid to be held between the fins of the adjacent pair of fins by surface tension of the moistening fluid. The flap moistening device further includes first and second bearing mechanisms respectively mounted on opposed walls of the reservoir to rotationally support the fluid transfer member in a horizontal orientation in the reservoir. The flap moistening device also includes a drive mechanism coupled to the fluid transfer member to rotationally drive the fluid transfer member, and a control mechanism operatively connected to the drive mechanism to select a rotational rate at which the drive mechanism rotationally drives the fluid transfer member. As the fluid transfer member rotates, it raises moistening fluid above the substantially constant level of the moistening fluid in the reservoir to transfer the moistening fluid to the first brush. Also, the first brush pivots between an upper position in which the envelope flap is interposed between the first brush and the fluid transfer member and a lower position in which the first brush is combed by the fins of the fluid transfer member.
The flap moistening device may further include a second brush mounted on a bottom wall of the reservoir and positioned to be combed by the fins of the fluid transfer member as the fluid transfer member rotates. The fluid transfer member may be oriented transversely to a direction in which the envelope is transported by the transport mechanism.
Therefore, it should now be apparent that the invention substantially achieves all the above aspects and advantages. Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description that follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Various features and embodiments are further described in the following figures, description and claims.
The accompanying drawings illustrate presently preferred embodiments of the invention, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention. As shown throughout the drawings, like reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts.
An envelope flap moistening device of the present invention includes a rotary moistening fluid transfer member to transfer moistening fluid from a fluid reservoir to an applicator. The fluid transfer member includes opposed surfaces between which moistening fluid is held by surface tension to allow the moistening fluid to be raised from the reservoir to the applicator. With such a fluid transfer member, it may be practical to transfer a greater volume of moistening fluid per unit time from reservoir to applicator than could be accomplished with a wick as in conventional flap moistening devices. Furthermore, the envelope flap moistening device of the present invention may include a control mechanism that can selectively change the rotational rate at which the fluid transfer member is rotationally driven to adapt to varying mail piece processing rates and/or varying envelope sizes and/or varying environmental conditions. Thus the envelope flap moistening device of the present invention permits more precisely controlled wetting of the applicator to in turn allow for more precisely controlled and more satisfactory moistening of envelope flaps. Accordingly, more reliable sealing of envelope flaps may be accomplished.
Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to
Cover members 24, 26 are pivotally mounted on the base 12 and are moveable between a closed position shown in
The base unit 12 further includes a generally horizontal feed deck 30 which extends substantially from the infeed end 14 to the outfeed end 16. A plurality of nudger rollers 32 are suitably mounted under the feed deck 30 and project upwardly through openings in the feed deck so that the rollers 32 can exert a forward feeding force on a succession of mail pieces placed in the infeed end 14. A vertical wall 34 defines a mail piece stacking location from which the mail pieces are fed by the nudger rollers 32 along the feed deck 30 and into the transport mechanism referred to above. The transport mechanism transports the mail pieces through one or more modules, such as, for example, a separator module and moistening/sealing module including an envelope flap moistening device in accordance with principles of the invention. Each of these modules is located generally in the area indicated by reference numeral 36. The mail pieces are then passed to a metering/printing module located generally in the area indicated by reference numeral 38.
Also partially shown in
The envelope flap moistening device 50 includes a stripper blade 60 which may be provided in accordance with conventional practices. As is familiar to those who are skilled in the art, the function of the stripper blade 60 is to separate the envelope flap 58 sufficiently from the body of the envelope 56 to allow moistening fluid to be applied to a gummed region (not separately shown) on an inner surface of the envelope flap.
The envelope flap moistening device 50 further includes an applicator brush 62 positioned immediately downstream along the envelope feed path from stripper blade 60. The applicator brush 62 may also be provided in accordance with conventional practices. As is conventional, the function of the applicator brush 62 is to apply moistening fluid to the envelope flap.
There will now be described, with initial reference to
As schematically illustrated in
The envelope flap moistening device 50 also includes a reservoir 66 which holds moistening fluid 68. The reservoir is at least partially adjacent to a registration wall 69 against which tops of envelopes may be registered in accordance with conventional practices. It will be noted that the applicator brush 62 is mounted above the reservoir 66. The envelope flap moistening device 50 further includes a moistening fluid transfer member 70 which, as conceptually illustrated in
Details of one embodiment of the fluid transfer member 70 will now be described with reference to
In some embodiments D1 may be about 25 to 30 mm (with the reservoir having a depth of about 35 to 40 mm). D2 may be around 20 to 25 mm. In some embodiments the pitch of the fins 82, 84 along the length of the hub portion 76 may be on the order of about 1.5 to 3 mm (e.g., about 2 mm), and the thickness of the fins may be about 1 mm at or near the hub portion 76 so that the distance d between opposed surfaces may be about 1 mm. Alternatively these dimensions may be varied within appropriate ranges to allow the fluid transfer member 70 to transfer moistening fluid to the applicator brush.
In the embodiment shown in
In still other embodiments, as illustrated in
Referring again to
There will now be described, with reference to
The reservoir 66 has a left side wall 96 and a right side wall 98, the two side walls 96, 98 being opposed to each other. A first bearing 100 is mounted on the left side wall 96 and a second bearing 102 is mounted on the right side wall 98. The bearings 100, 102 are positioned and configured so as to rotationally support the fluid transfer member 70 therebetween via the hub-extensions 92, 94, respectively. A driven gear 104 may be integrally formed with the right hub-extension 94.
The flap moistening device 50 further includes a transfer member driving system 106. The driving system 106 includes a motor 108, a gearshaft 110 coupled to the motor 108 for being rotationally driven by the motor 108, and a driving gear 112 at an end 114 of the gearshaft 110. It will be noted that the gearshaft 110 may extend through the registration wall 69 (shown in phantom in
The motor 108 may be, in some embodiments, a variable-speed motor, and the flap moistening device 50 may further include a control system 116 that is operatively connected to the motor 108 to control the speed of the motor 108 and thereby to select among two or more different rotational rates at which the fluid transfer member 70 may be rotationally driven by the motor 108. In particular, the control system 116 may include a control circuit 118 (including, for example, a suitably programmed microprocessor or microcontroller) that is operatively coupled to the motor 108. The control system 116 may also include, in some embodiments, one or more sensors, including, for example, an envelope length sensor 120 and one or more sensors 122 for sensing environmental conditions. The sensors 120, 122 may be operatively coupled to the control circuit 118. The sensors 122 may include, for example, one or more of a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an air pressure sensor, and an altimeter. The sensor 120 may include, for example, a through-beam sensor positioned adjacent to the envelope feed path to detect a leading edge and a trailing edge of an envelope fed along the envelope feed path to detect the length of the envelope. In addition to or in place of the sensors 120, 122, the control system 116 may include a user interface (which may be included as part of the control unit 18 (
An arrangement for replenishing the moistening fluid in the reservoir 66, as provided in some embodiments, will now be described with reference to
The bottle 126 is positioned behind the registration wall 69 so as not to impede the envelope feed path, which is to the left of the registration wall 69, as seen in
Operation of the mailing machine 10, and in particular operation of the envelope flap moistening device 50, will now be described. When no envelope is present at the envelope flap moistening device 50, the applicator brush 62 is in its lower position shown in
Referring to
As the envelope exits from the flap moistening device, the brush 62 pivots downwardly under the force of gravity from the upper position of
From the flap moistening device, the envelope may next be fed through a sealing nip (not shown) which may be provided in accordance with conventional practices to seal the envelope. The envelope may then be transported through the balance of the area 36 (
In some embodiments, as noted above, the motor 108 (
In addition, or alternatively, one or more sensors 122 may detect one or more environmental conditions (e.g., humidity, temperature, altitude and/or air pressure) and the control circuit 118 may select a rotational rate for the fluid transfer member based on one or more signals from the sensor or sensors 122. For example, the fluid transfer member may be rotated faster to transfer more moistening fluid to the applicator brush at times when the humidity is relatively low.
In addition, or alternatively, an envelope length sensor 120 may detect a length of one or more envelopes fed through the mailing machine, and the control circuit 118 may select a rotational rate for the fluid transfer member based on one or more signals from the sensor 120. For example, the fluid transfer member may be rotated faster to transfer more moistening fluid to the applicator brush when the sensor 120 detects that the envelope or envelopes fed through the mailing machine are relatively long and therefore may be more likely to dry out the applicator brush.
In addition, or alternatively, the operator of the mailing machine may provide input to the control circuit 118 to cause the control circuit 118 to increase or decrease the rotational rate of the fluid transfer member. For example, the operator may observe that the envelope flaps are being excessively or inadequately moistened, and may accordingly provide input to slow down or speed up the rotational rate of the fluid transfer member to decrease or increase the amount of moistening fluid transferred to the applicator brush by the fluid transfer member.
In the envelope flap moistening device as disclosed herein, with a rotary member that actively transfers moistening fluid from a reservoir to an applicator brush, it may be practical to provide fluid transfer in greater volume than in moistening devices in which the applicator is fed by wick from the reservoir. As a result, adequate moistening of envelope flaps may be achieved even in circumstances that have heretofore required greater fluid transfer than provided by wicks. In addition, it may be possible to control the amount of fluid transferred to the applicator to adapt the amount of fluid transferred to various operating and/or environmental conditions, thereby optimizing the operation of the flap moistening device.
A number of embodiments of the present invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the “chicken feeder” fluid replenishment system may be replaced with another type of replenishment system or dispensed with entirely. Furthermore, the rate of rotation of the fluid transfer member may be constant rather than variable, and the control circuit may be omitted. Also, one or more of the sensors connected to the control circuit may be omitted. In addition, the driving system 106 may be modified in a number of respects. The cleaning brush may be omitted. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 733392 | Henderson, Jr. | Jul 1903 | A |
| 2015507 | Arnold et al. | Sep 1935 | A |
| 3080848 | Grubelic | Mar 1963 | A |
| 4773962 | Garrigue et al. | Sep 1988 | A |
| 5006194 | Schmaling | Apr 1991 | A |
| 5007371 | O'Dea et al. | Apr 1991 | A |
| 5569327 | Paradis et al. | Oct 1996 | A |
| 5622560 | Haroutel et al. | Apr 1997 | A |
| 5665198 | Bieber et al. | Sep 1997 | A |
| 5674348 | DeFiguerido | Oct 1997 | A |
| 5746881 | Jenkins et al. | May 1998 | A |
| 5807463 | Boughton | Sep 1998 | A |
| 5840123 | Holbrook | Nov 1998 | A |
| 6254679 | Sancenot | Jul 2001 | B1 |
| 6361603 | Salomon | Mar 2002 | B1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20050067108 A1 | Mar 2005 | US |
