Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6790303
-
Patent Number
6,790,303
-
Date Filed
Monday, December 17, 200123 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, September 14, 200420 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Capelli; Christopher J.
- Malandra, Jr.; Charles R.
- Chaclas; Angelo N.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 156 196
- 156 227
- 156 4422
- 156 4415
- 156 4421
- 156 4423
- 156 4424
- 156 204
- 156 443
- 493 245
- 271 2
- 271 184
- 271 185
- 271 186
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
An envelope with its flap in an open position is driven along a transport path by first transport means (31a) at a first location. When the crease line between the flap and the body of the envelope reaches a predetermined location along the transport path, buckling means (31b, 53) engage the envelope from opposite sides at a second location, spaced apart from the first location, such as to cause the envelope to buckle laterally of the transport path and be partially closed. The buckling envelope with its crease line leading is then received by sealing means (31a, 31b), by means of which the envelope fully closed.
Description
This invention relates to an apparatus and a method for sealing an envelope.
A conventional envelope sealing apparatus known to the applicants for incorporation in an inserter for preparing one or more inserts, inserting them into an envelope and sealing the envelope to form a finished mailpiece, comprises a stop against which the bottom edge of the envelope is advanced so that the envelope buckles in a direction for partially closing the flap to the body of the envelope, the closing being completed by a sealing device located laterally of the transport path along which the envelope is advanced against the stop, the sealing device pressing the flap against the envelope body. However, the stop needs to be adjustable in position according to the size of the envelope which adds to technical complexity and cost. In addition, re-setting the stop position each time the envelope size changes is inconvenient and time-consuming for the operator.
It is an object of this invention to provide an envelope sealing apparatus and a method for sealing the envelope, which can be used for sealing envelopes of different sizes without re-setting the envelope sealing apparatus each time the sealing apparatus is to be used for envelopes of a new size.
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for sealing envelopes, comprising: apparatus for sealing an envelope, having a body and a flap with a crease line therebetween, comprising:
(a) first transport means for advancing the envelope with the flap in an open position in a transport direction along a transport path, said transport means being arranged for applying drive to the envelope at a first location;
(b) means for determining the position of the crease line along the transport path;
(c) envelope buckling means operative in response to the crease line reaching a predetermined position, to engage the envelope from opposite sides at a second location, spaced from the first location, and cause the envelope to buckle in a direction laterally of the transport path, thereby partially closing the flap to the envelope body, and
(d) sealing means located adjacent the transport path for receiving the buckling envelope with its crease line leading, for completing the closing of the flap to the body of the envelope.
Since the envelope is engaged by the envelope buckling means from opposite sides, while the envelope is in contact with the first transport means at a first location, the envelope buckling means being at a second location, the envelope buckles towards the sealing means, when the envelope buckling means are operating in response to the crease line arriving at a predetermined position. Then, the buckled envelope contacts the sealing means, due to the operation of the first transport means and/or the envelope buckling means, with the crease line leading. Due to the operation of the envelope buckling means, in response to the crease line reaching the predetermined position and the buckling means engaging the envelope from opposite sides, and not from one end of the envelope, the apparatus according to the invention can be used for sealing envelopes of different sizes, without resetting the envelope sealing apparatus each time envelopes of a new size are used.
The engagement of the envelope buckling means from opposite sides can for example be conducted by a roller pair transporting the envelope in a direction generally opposite to the transport direction of the first transport means. Furthermore, the roller pair of the envelope buckling means can alternatively be driven significantly slower than the first transport means to cause the envelope to buckle. As a further alternative, the engagement of the envelope buckling means from opposite sides can be conducted by a clamp, which holds the envelope by engaging two opposing clamp parts to the envelope from opposite sides, while it is moved in the transport direction, so that the envelope buckles.
As already indicated, a preferred embodiment of the apparatus for sealing an envelope comprises envelope buckling means which are arranged to be in driving engagement with opposite faces of the envelope, so as to apply drive to the envelope in a direction generally opposite to the transport direction of the first transport means. Thus, the buckling of the envelope can be achieved in a simple manner and within a short period of time.
In a preferred arrangement, the sealing means are arranged to close the envelope by applying pressure to the flap and body of the envelope from opposite sides.
It is advantageous if the first transport means are formed by a first roller pair and the envelope buckling means are formed by a second roller pair, since thereby the envelope can be continuously transported in an effective manner. In a preferred arrangement, one roller of the envelope buckling means is a drive roller and the other is a driven roller, arranged to be brought into and out of driving contact with the envelope.
It is also advantageous if the driven roller of the second roller pair is carried by a moveable inducer, the driven roller being arranged to be brought into and out of driving contact with the envelope by movement of the inducer, so that the operation of the envelope buckling means is controlled in a simple way.
In a further preferred arrangement, the inducer is pivotably mounted on a rotation axis. It is advantageous if the inducer comprises a first guide portion at the free end of which a protrusion is located for urging the crease line of the envelope into the sealing means, since it is thereby ensured that the envelope is brought into contact with the sealing means. Further, the first guide portion provides a smooth transport of the envelopes, and the first guide portion can also act as a diverter for envelopes or sheets in cases where sealing per se is not required, when the driven roller is in driving contact with the envelope.
According to another preferred arrangement, the sealing means comprises a sealing roller pair whose nip is arranged to receive the partially closed envelope with its crease line leading. Desirably, a drive roller of the transport means and the drive roller of the envelope buckling means together form the sealing roller pair for sealing the envelope, so that sealing an envelope can be achieved by a minimum of structural elements.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for sealing an envelope, having a body and a flap with a crease line therebetween, comprising:
(a) transporting the envelope with its flap in an open position in a first direction along a transport path by applying drive to the envelope at a first location;
(b) engaging the envelope from opposite sides at a second location spaced from the first location, when the crease line reaches a predetermined position thereby causing the envelope to buckle in a direction laterally of the transport path to partially close the flap to the envelope body;
(c) applying pressure to the buckling envelope with its crease line leading at a location adjacent to the transport path, to complete the closing of the flap to the body of the envelope.
By engaging the envelope from opposite sides at a second location, when the crease line reaches a predetermined position, the envelope buckles with its crease line leading so that pressure can be applied to close the flap to the body of the envelope. Due to engaging the envelope from opposite sides and not from one end of the envelope, the actual length of the envelope is unimportant for sealing the envelope with its crease line leading. Thus, envelopes of different sizes can be sealed without resetting the envelope sealing apparatus due to engaging the envelope from opposite sides in response to the crease line arriving at a predetermined position.
In a preferred embodiment step b) of the method of the invention comprises applying drive to the envelope in generally the opposite direction to the first direction.
It is further advantageous to induce the envelope to buckle in the lateral direction by applying a force on the envelope between said first and second locations. Preferably, the envelope is advanced along the transport path with its open flap trailing.
Desirably, the drive to the envelope at said first location is maintained while engaging the envelope from opposite sides at the second location. The apparatus can be used simply to close an envelope, rather than to close and seal it, hence according to another aspect of the present invention there is provided an apparatus for closing an envelope, having a body and a flap with a crease line therebetween, comprising (a) first transport means for advancing the envelope with the flap in an open position in a transport direction along a transport path, said transport means being arranged for applying drive to the envelope at a first location, (b) means for determining the position of the crease line along the transport path, (c) envelope buckling means operative in response to the crease line reaching a predetermined position, to engage the envelope from opposite sides at a second location, and cause the envelope to buckle in a direction laterally of the transport path, thereby partially closing the flap to the envelope body, and (d) closing means located adjacent the transport path for receiving the buckling envelope with its crease line leading, for completing the closing of the flap to the body of the envelope.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1
is a vertical side sectional view through one form of folder-inserter including one form of sheet collation apparatus in accordance with the present invention,
FIGS. 2
a
to
2
e
show diagrammatically successive stages in the double-folding of a sheet collation,
FIGS. 3
a
to
3
f
are diagrammatic side views of the sheet collation apparatus, in successive operating conditions,
FIGS. 4
a
and
4
b
show a part of the vertical side sectional view of
FIG. 1
, which illustrates how the flap of an envelope is opened,
FIGS. 5
a
and
5
b
are perspective views of a specific embodiment of the envelope flap opening mechanism of the folder-inserter,
FIG. 6
is a schematic plan view of the envelope and a flapper blade of the flap opening mechanism of
FIGS. 5
a
and
5
b,
FIG. 7
is a detailed cross-sectional view through a moistener tank and sealing station of the feeder-inserter according to
FIG. 1
,
FIG. 8
is an enlarged perspective view of a part of the folder inserter of
FIG. 1
where the moistener tank is located,
FIG. 9
is a perspective view of the moistener tank withdrawn from the folder-inserter of
FIG. 1
,
FIG. 10
is a sectional view corresponding to
FIG. 7
wherein an inducer of the folder-inserter is in a second, lowered position,
FIG. 11
is a general perspective view of the folder-inserter according to
FIG. 1
,
FIG. 11
a
shows a variant of the folder-inserter of
FIG. 11
, having a second sheet feeder,
FIGS. 12
a
to
12
f
schematically describe in a sequence how a flap is sealed to a body of an envelope, and
FIG. 12
g
illustrates an alternative four roller arrangement to the illustrated six roller arrangement, but which can perform an equivalent sequence,
FIG. 13
is a diagrammatic side view of an envelope feeder of the folder-inserter and the flap opening mechanism,
FIG. 14
is a flow chart relating to envelope feeding and sensing, and
FIGS. 15
a
and
15
b
together comprise a flow chart relating to a specific embodiment of envelope feeding, flapping and preparing for insertion.
Referring firstly to
FIG. 11
, this shows an overall perspective view of a folder-inserter
100
, as seen from the front and to one side, the folder-inserter being used for preparing a mailpiece. The folder-inserter comprises a main housing structure
2
, at the front of which and at the bottom is located a sheet feeder
3
including a first sheet feeding tray
4
(feeding means). Above the sheet feeder
3
is an accumulation station
8
which is located under an output station
90
including an output tray
91
. At the top of the folder inserter
100
is an envelope feeder
26
and, rearwardly thereof, an insert station
28
for feeding an optional insert sheet for the mailpiece to be prepared.
At the right side of the folder-inserter
100
at the front is a display and control unit
95
which provides an operator interface, by means of which an operator is able to control and use the folder-inserter from its front side.
In
FIG. 1
, there are shown internal structural components of the tabletop folder-inserter
100
, which includes a sheet collation apparatus
1
of a preferred form. It is to be understood that the tabletop folder-inserter
100
is not to be regarded as the only environment for use for the sheet collation apparatus of this form. Indeed, other environments involving sheet handling are envisaged, including in particular other forms of inserter or any other mechanism requiring a collation apparatus for collating sheets of paper. For this reason, the description to be given below of the inserter
100
is only of a general character.
The precise form of the housing structure is of no particular importance, though it will normally be designed so that one or more sections can be opened by pivoting, removal or the like for access to the internal components of the inserter for maintenance and jam clearances.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, the sheet collation apparatus
1
includes the sheet feeder
3
provided in the lower section of the housing structure, the first sheet feeding tray
4
projecting forwardly from a front face of the inserter to enable an operator to periodically recharge the tray with fresh sheets, a separator wheel
5
and a pivotally mounted, cam operated, rocker arm
6
below the separator wheel
5
, so that when pivoted into its raised position, it will urge the stack of sheets in the first sheet feeding tray
4
into engagement with the rotating separator wheel, which accordingly drives the uppermost sheet along a sheet feeding path
7
.
Positioned above the first sheet feeding tray
4
is the sheet accumulation station
8
of the collation apparatus
1
, for accumulating one or more sheets initially supplied from the first sheet feeding tray
4
. A sheet transfer path
9
connected to the rear end of the sheet accumulation station
8
merges with the sheet feeding path
7
below a sheet collation station
10
of the collation apparatus
1
. A sheet diverter or deflector
11
is pivotally mounted on pin
112
beneath the sheet collation station
10
and defines a lower guiding surface of the second, sheet transfer, path
9
, the deflector being biased in a direction (anti-clockwise in
FIG. 1
) so as normally to be located blocking the first path. Sheet accumulation station
8
is preferably also designed as a “daily mail” tray into which so-called daily mail may be manually inserted for folding and inserting into a respective envelope. This daily mail may be a single sheet, or a number of sheets, which may or may not be stapled together, or some of which may be stapled together.
Sheets are successively fed one at a time from the sheet feeding tray
4
along the sheet feeding path
7
. As the leading edge of each advancing sheet strikes the deflector
11
, the latter is caused to pivot against its spring bias, thereby allowing the sheet to advance beyond the deflector to the collation station
10
, at which the leading edge of the sheet is arrested in the nip defined between a pair of collation rollers
12
at the collation station, which are non-driven when the sheet is advanced into the roller nip but which are selectively drivable, in a manner to be described below. When one or more sheets from the sheet accumulation station
8
and a single sheet from sheet feeder
3
are both advanced into the collation nip, the leading edges of the plural sheets become aligned. Once a sufficient number of sheets have been aligned to form a collation of a required, predetermined, number of sheets, as will be described in more detail below, the collation rollers are driven simultaneously to advance the sheet collation along a third, sheet feeding, path
13
to a folding station
14
.
An auxiliary sheet feeding path
33
, extending upwardly from the underside of the inserter
100
and merging with the sheet feeding path
7
, serves for connection to a separate sheet printing appliance, e.g. laser jet or ink jet printer disposed below the inserter, or a supplementary sheet feeding tray, for use in delivering printed sheets one at a time to the collation station for inclusion in each sheet collation formed at the collation station. This path
33
provides an alternative supply of printed sheets to that provided by the sheet feeder
4
. The folding station
14
serves to form two folds in the collation fed along the third path
13
from the collation station
10
. It comprises a first sheet folder
15
located in an upper region of the housing structure
2
for effecting a first fold on the sheet collation and a second sheet folder
16
located in a rear region of the housing structure rearwardly of the path
13
, the second sheet folder serving to fold the once-folded collation a second time. A drive roller
17
of the sheet folder is in permanent driving contact with driven rollers
18
-
20
.
The operation of the folding station
14
will now be described with particular reference to
FIGS. 2
a
to
2
e
. The sheet collation A
1
, A
2
advancing along the sheet feeding path
13
from the collation station is directed by a guide
21
into the nip of rollers
17
,
18
(
FIG. 2
a
), which advances the collation into the first sheet folder
15
, until the leading edge of the collation has reached a predetermined position in the sheet folder (
FIG. 2
b
).
Preferably, the first sheet folder includes a roller pair
22
which, as the advancing sheet enters the roller nip (which event may be detected optically or in any other suitable way such as will be known to the skilled person) applies drive to the roller pair over a predetermined angular rotation and then stops, to determine the predetermined stop position of the leading edge of the sheet collation. This “intelligent” nip provides a preferred way of determining the predetermined stop position of the collation leading edge, or in other words the location of the first fold to be made to the sheet collation. Other ways of achieving such arrestation of the collation will be apparent to the skilled person, such as a stop member provided with means for setting the position of that stop member as required.
When the collation has been arrested with its leading edge in the predetermined position, continuing drive imparted to the trailing section of the collation causes the section of the collation between the rollers
18
,
19
and roller pair
22
to buckle rearwardly and enter into the nip between roller pair
17
,
19
, to form a first fold in the sheet (
FIG. 2
c
). The sheet collation is then advanced between the roller pair
17
,
19
with its folded edge leading and into the second sheet folder
16
.
This folder includes a manufacturer adjustable stop
23
(for the US or European market) which arrests the leading edge of the folded collation while the roller pair
17
,
19
continues to drive the trailing section of the collation to cause the section between that roller pair and the folding station
14
to buckle forwardly and downwardly into the nip of the roller pair
17
,
20
, to form a second fold in the collation (
FIG. 2
d
). The position of the stop
23
determines the position of the second fold.
This roller pair
17
,
20
advances the double-folded sheet collation across the feed path
13
and into the nip of a further drive, driven roller pair
24
, which advances the double-folded sheet collation along a further path
25
(
FIG. 2
e
) to a stuffing station
27
(FIG.
1
), to which an envelope from the envelope feeder
26
has been advanced. The arrangement produces a C-fold as schematically indicated in
FIG. 2
e
. Referring now to
FIG. 1
, the envelope is thereby forwarded by a traction belt
41
along a path
42
to a roller pair
43
by which the envelope's flap is engaged with a flapper blade
44
so that the envelope is held rear face down and envelope flap open and trailing. The double-folded sheet collation is then driven into the waiting envelope until its leading folded edge engages the crease along the bottom edge of the envelope. Optionally, an insert sheet can be advanced from insert station
28
, when the second fold in the collation is formed by the nip between roller pair
17
,
20
, which is then fed along the feed path
25
into the open envelope at stuffing station
27
.
Thereafter, the stuffed envelope is driven successively to a moistener
29
, which moistens the flap of the envelope, and to a sealing station
30
. The sealing station
30
includes an inducer
50
which is moved towards a sealing roller pair
31
, which is also part of the sealing station
30
and which closes and seals the moistened flap against the rear panel of the envelope and ejects the thus-prepared mailpiece from the front of the folder-inserter
100
.
The operation of the collation apparatus will now be described in more detail with reference to
FIGS. 3
a
to
3
f.
FIG. 3
a
shows the top two sheets A
1
, A
2
of a stack of sheets held in the sheet feeding tray
4
. A second sheet feeding tray indicated schematically at
34
may be disposed beneath the first sheet feeding tray as illustrated schematically in
FIG. 3
a
, either integrally with the rest of the folder-inserter as illustrated in
FIG. 11
a
, or as a “bolt-on” unit to that of FIG.
11
. The construction and basic operation of tray
34
may be equivalent to that of tray
4
, with a respective feed path
35
leading to the collation station. At the beginning of an operational cycle, the cam operated rocker arm
6
(shown only in
FIG. 1
) pivots upwardly to cause the driven separator wheel
5
to apply drive to the uppermost sheet A
1
, which accordingly is driven from the sheet feeder along path
7
, past the spring biased diverter
11
, and into the nip of stationary collation rollers
12
(see
FIG. 3
b
). The leading edge of sheet A
1
is arrested in the collation nip and drive is removed from the trailing edge of the sheet.
After a brief pause, drive is applied to the rollers
12
, to advance the sheet A
1
along path
13
until the trailing edge of the sheet has cleared the deflector
11
, which again returns under spring bias to its position blocking the feed path
7
. Drive is then removed from the collation rollers to hold the sheet A
1
stationary in this position (
FIG. 3
c
). The trailing edge of sheet A
1
moving clear of deflector
11
can be detected in any suitable manner, e.g. optically.
Following a further pause, the rotational direction of collation rollers
12
is reversed. The advancing edge of the sheet initially strikes deflector
11
, which diverts the sheet along transfer path to accumulation station
8
, at which a pair of rollers
32
in vertical driving contact take over advancement of sheet A
1
until it is brought to rest (
FIG. 3
d
).
Drive is then applied both to separator wheel
5
of sheet feeder
4
and roller pair
32
of accumulation station
8
, to advance the next sheet A
2
and the initial sheet A
1
, respectively, along paths
7
,
9
and into the collation nip of collation rollers
12
to align their leading edges, thereby forming a collation of two sheets (
FIG. 3
e
).
If a collation of three of more sheets is required, the above described operational steps are repeated, where the sheet collation A
1
, A
2
is handled as described above for the initial sheet A when at the collation station (
FIG. 3
b
), and a collation is formed between the collation A
1
, A
2
and the next sheet (A
3
) from the sheet feeder
4
to form collation A
1
, A
2
, A
3
, such procedure being repeated until the collation consists of the required number of sheets. Thereafter, the collation rollers
12
are driven to advance the collation A
1
, A
2
. . . etc along path
13
from the collation station
10
to the folding station
14
(
FIG. 3
f
).
In an alternative method of operation, the second sheet feeding tray
34
can be used as the main sheet feeder and thus feeding paper to the accumulator tray
8
, and with the first tray
4
used for adding a single sheet to be collated therewith.
Referring now to
FIGS. 4
a
,
4
b
,
5
a
,
5
b
and
6
, the opening of the flap of an envelope will be described in more detail.
A plurality of envelopes are stored unflapped in a stack in the envelope feeder
26
(FIG.
1
), and orientated with their rear faces towards the traction belt
41
and the envelope flaps uppermost and furthest from the path
42
. (See also
FIG. 12
, and the corresponding description thereof, for a schematic view of the layout). By actuating the traction belt
41
, a single unflapped envelope is fed downwards along path
42
into the nip of roller pair
43
. The roller pair
43
, which includes an arching roller
43
a
, drives the envelope further downwards until the trailing edge of the envelope passes a deflecting edge
45
of the fixed flapper blade
44
. The drive of the roller pair
43
is then reversed so that the trailing edge becomes the leading edge and the envelope is forced by a diverter element
39
facing the arching roller
43
a
to come into contact with a deflecting surface
46
of flapper blade
44
. The envelope is caused to follow the curvature around the arching roller
43
a
as a result of the deflecting surface
46
of flapper blade
44
, and is driven along a flapper path which adjoins the path
42
until the flap is completely within a flapping chamber
47
or zone. Optionally, deflector means
48
are arranged inside the flapping chamber
47
to slightly spread the flap apart from the envelope, and initiate and facilitate flap opening, since the envelope is buckled downwards by the deflector means
48
. The contact of the envelope with the deflector means
48
, which have an angled guide part
48
a
, might serve as an indicator to reverse the feed direction of the envelope again. For example, a movement of the deflector means
48
around part
48
a
may indicate contact with the envelope
60
when its flap
61
is completely within the flapping chamber
47
, as shown in
FIG. 4
a
. When reversing the feed direction back again, the partially opened flap
61
of the envelope
60
is now engaged by the flapper blade
44
, so that the flap is stripped away from the body of the envelope. As the envelope is driven further by roller pair
43
, which is disposed downstream of the junction between the flapper path and path
42
, the flap
61
is completely opened by sliding on an opening surface
49
of the flapper blade
44
, as shown in
FIG. 4
b
, and being drawn between the arching roller
43
a
and the deflecting surface
46
of flapper blade
44
. Thus, the envelope is fed into path
25
with an open flap to receive the double collation sheet at the stuffing station
27
, where spring biased fingers (not shown) hold the envelope open.
In
FIGS. 5
a
and
5
b
two embodiments of flapper blade
44
are illustrated.
FIG. 5
a
shows a flapper blade
44
comprising four plate-like blade parts or elements
44
a
,
44
b
each having a flap opening surface
49
. The two inner blade parts
44
a
are equally spaced apart from the central line of an envelope so that the tip of the flap is arranged between those two blade parts
44
a
, which are held at a fixed height position above the arching roller
43
a
. See also FIG.
6
.
In
FIG. 5
b
an envelope with flap
61
is shown which is deflected by two deflectors
48
, positioned at the right and left edge of the envelope, to partly open the flap of the envelope on being engaged by the deflectors
48
. The embodiment of
FIG. 5
b
illustrates a six part flapper blade
44
in the form of pairs of plate-like blade parts
44
a
,
44
b
,
44
c
. The blade parts
44
b
of both embodiments, and parts
44
c
of the embodiment of
FIG. 5
b
, serve as guide elements, whereas the opening of the envelope is performed by the two inner blade parts
44
a
. The gap between the two inner blade parts
44
a
allows the amount of travel of envelope inside the flapping chamber
47
to be reduced by the amount indicated by two arrows in
FIG. 6
, since the tip of the flap is disposed between the inner blade parts
44
a
, which are spaced apart from each other. Thus, the individual flap length of different envelopes does not have to be considered, as schematically illustrated in FIG.
6
.
With reference to
FIGS. 7
,
8
and
9
, it will now be described how liquid is transferred onto an envelope flap for use in sealing it to the body of an envelope. Alternatively, the liquid could be used to moisten the body of the envelope.
As can be seen in
FIG. 7
, liquid is stored in a moistener tank
70
in which a capillary action fitted wick
71
is accommodated and serves to deposit liquid onto the flap of an envelope from underneath. The moistener tank
70
comprises a tank housing
72
, generally U-shaped in cross-section, which forms a space to store the liquid. The tank housing
72
is placed in a watertight channel
75
by means of which leaking liquid can be collected and led away from the interior of the folder-inserter
100
.
The liquid level in the moistener tank
70
is visible to an operator at the front of the folder-inserter
100
through a transparent window
73
, which can comprise a scale to indicate how much liquid is contained in the moistener tank
70
. For this purpose, the transparent window
73
is arranged substantially on the same level at which the liquid is surrounding the wick
71
inside the moistener tank
70
, with folder-inserter
100
placed on a horizontal surface. Thus, the transparent window
73
indicates to the operator when the tank needs to be refilled with liquid.
If the operator wants to refill the moistener tank
70
, the moistener tank
70
can be partially removed from the housing structure
2
of the tabletop inserter
100
by pulling it out to the side in a horizontal direction, as indicated by the two arrows in
FIG. 8
, until it reaches a detent position. In this detent position, the moistener tank
70
protrudes out of the housing structure
2
so that a refill opening
76
is exposed and liquid can be poured into the opening
76
from above. For this refilling, the moistener tank
70
comprises a recess
74
, which can be manually engaged for pulling the tank out of the side of the housing structure
2
.
As can be seen in
FIG. 9
, a plurality of wicks
71
are arranged in a line to deposit liquid onto the flap of an envelope. The tank housing
72
is covered by a plate like cover
78
which has openings
79
through which the tops of the wicks
71
protrude upwards out of the vessel which is formed by the tank housing
72
and the cover
78
. If the wicks are contaminated with envelope gum due to a long use, the used wicks can be replaced by new ones, simply by pulling them upwards out of the tank
70
and loading new wicks by dropping them down through the corresponding openings
79
of the cover
78
. This can be achieved by the operator when the moistener tank
70
is completely removed from the housing structure
2
. Thereafter the moistener tank
70
has to be inserted again into the watertight channel
75
starting with a first portion
70
a
of the moistener tank
70
which has an elongate shape and accommodates the wicks
71
. A second portion
70
b
of the moistener tank
70
is substantially perpendicularly arranged to the first portion
70
a
and includes the opening
76
, the transparent window
73
and the recess
74
. In the partly-removed detent position of the moistener tank
70
, substantially only the second portion
70
b
of the moistener tank
70
protrudes in a horizontal direction out of the housing structure
2
, in order to allow refilling of the tank
70
with liquid. This detent position of the moistener tank
70
is reached if a plurality of clips
77
have been snapped in corresponding recesses in the watertight channel
75
. When the moistener tank
70
is completely inserted back again into the housing structure
2
, the clips
77
will have snapped in corresponding further recesses in the watertight channel to achieve a predetermined position of the moistener tank
70
and depositing of liquid onto the envelope flaps by the capillary action of the wicks. The face of the tank including the window thus forms part of a face of the housing in operation of the apparatus.
The procedure for moistening the flap of an envelope within the folder-inserter
100
will now be described. As described above, the folded collation sheets are inserted into the envelope within feedpath
25
at the stuffing station
27
. The envelope is then transported by a driven roller
31
a
of roller pair
31
, which is cooperating with a not shown driven roller mounted on the end of pivotable support arm
80
, to pass the envelope over the moistener tank
70
. The arm
80
pivots under the action of a cam (not shown), about a pivot point
81
. Above the moistener tank
70
, in particular above the openings
79
of the cover
78
in which the wicks
71
are accommodated, a deflector
85
is arranged to bring the flap of the envelope into contact with the wicks
71
when required to moisten adhesive therein. The deflector
85
pivots about a pivot point
82
and is moved downwards only at that time. Transport of an envelope etc. through this zone is assisted by a drive roller
88
. A plurality of laterally-spaced lightly-sprung fingers
89
over which the envelope is transported serve to keep the envelope flap away from the wick and prevent it being moistened, except when the deflector is actuated. If an envelope is not moistened it will merely be closed rather than sealed at the subsequent sealing station. The deflector is solenoid-operated by the crease datum position detector (sensor) described hereinafter. By pivoting the deflector about its pivot point
82
, it is moved downwards so that the flap is brought into contact along the wicks
71
for depositing liquid thereonto. Additionally, spring biased perforated elements can be arranged between the envelope and the wicks which are pressed down by the movement of the deflector
85
so that the wicks
71
are protected from excessive wear due to unnecessary contact of the wicks with the envelope.
Before the preferred embodiment of sealing an envelope is described with respect to
FIGS. 7 and 10
, a general concept for sealing the flap of an envelope to the body of an envelope will be explained, for a better understanding, with reference to
FIGS. 12
a
to
12
f
, which schematically describe in a sequence how the flap can be sealed to the body of the envelope.
In
FIG. 12
a
it is shown that a body
62
of the envelope is transported by a first roller pair
131
in a direction leading the envelope to the vicinity of a sealing roller pair
132
as shown by the corresponding arrows.
As can be seen from
FIG. 12
b
, a buckle roller pair
133
is arranged downstream from the first roller pair
131
and the sealing roller pair
132
, with an engageable roller
133
b
of the buckle roller pair
133
spaced apart from a fixed roller
133
a
of the buckle roller pair
133
. The buckle roller pair
133
is in this position until a crease line
63
connecting the flap
61
with the body
62
of the envelope is substantially arranged underneath the sealing roller pair
132
.
As indicated by
FIG. 12
c
, the engageable roller
133
b
is brought into contact with the fixed roller
133
a
in response to a signal, when the crease line
63
of the envelope has been transported underneath the nip of sealing roller pair
132
. Also, although not shown in
FIGS. 12
a
to
12
f
, the engageable roller
133
b
is preferably arranged on an inducer which includes a protrusion that supports the movement of the crease line towards the nip of the sealing roller pair
132
, when the engageable roller
133
b
is brought in contact with the fixed roller
133
a
, as will be described with reference to
FIGS. 7 and 10
.
FIG. 12
d
shows that the buckle roller pair
133
transports the envelope in a direction substantially opposite to the direction of the transporting roller pair
131
which is engaged with the flap
61
of the envelope. As a result of the movement of transport roller pair
131
and buckle roller pair
133
, the crease line
63
of the envelope is inserted into the nip of sealing roller pair
132
. Thereafter, the envelope is closed by pressing the flap
61
and the body
62
from opposite sides by sealing roller pair
132
as shown in
FIG. 12
e.
As further indicated by
FIG. 12
f
, the whole envelope is transported by sealing roller pair
132
upwards to an output as shown by the corresponding arrows.
In an alternative embodiment of the concept for sealing the envelope, the buckle roller pair
133
can be replaced by a clamp (not shown) which holds the body
62
of the envelope by engaging clamp parts with the envelope from opposite sides while it is moved along in the transport direction, so that the envelope buckles. As a result, the crease line is inserted into the nip of the sealing roller pair
132
by transporting the envelope by means of transport roller pair
131
. Thereafter, when the crease line is engaged with the sealing roller pair
132
, the clamp will be released from the body of the envelope so that the flap can be sealed to the body of the envelope as shown in
FIGS. 12
e
and
12
f.
As will be apparent to a skilled person, the buckle roller pair can alternatively be driven significantly slower than the transport roller pair
131
, whereby to insert the crease line into the nip of the sealing roller pair
132
. Additionally, it is obvious that the flap of the envelope can be first transported through the transport roller pair
131
, that is the envelope can be moved with the flap leading, rather than the body leading. Furthermore, and as is the case for the embodiment described hereinafter with reference to
FIGS. 7 and 10
, each roller of the sealing roller pair
132
can respectively serve as a roller of the transport roller pair
131
and the buckle roller pair
133
, so that a minimum of four rollers is required for sealing the envelope, as will now be described.
A preferred embodiment for sealing the flap to the body of an envelope will now be described with reference to
FIGS. 7 and 10
.
FIG. 10
shows the inducer
50
in a lowered, second position in which the inducer is not engaged with the envelope. The flap of the envelope on which liquid has been deposited from the moistener tank
70
has now to be closed and sealed to the body of the envelope. As described, the roller
31
a
and a roller (not shown) at the end of the support arm
80
comprise first transport means which transport the envelope with the flap facing downwards at the trailing end of the envelope to the sealing station
30
. The sealing station
30
comprises the inducer
50
and the sealing roller pair
31
, including the drive roller
31
a
by which the envelope is transported to the sealing station
30
. The inducer
50
of the sealing station
30
, which can be formed as a one-piece component, has a curved transverse elongate guide portion
51
at one end of which and on one side of which a transverse protrusion
52
is located. On the other side of the portion
51
to the protrusion
52
, the inducer
50
has a transverse rectangular portion
57
which extends away from the protrusion
52
and is substantially at a right angle at the protrusion
52
, as viewed in side elevation. At the part of the rectangular portion
57
extending away from the protrusion
52
, there is mounted a roller
53
which in a raised, first position of the inducer
50
is engaged with sealing roller
31
b
, as illustrated in
FIG. 7
(engaged position). In
FIG. 10
, the inducer
50
is illustrated in the lowered, second position, in which the roller
53
is not engaged with the sealing roller
31
b
. Roller
53
and drive roller
31
b
comprise a second transport means (envelope buckling means) and rollers
31
a
and
31
b
comprise sealing means.
FIG. 12
g
illustrates a four roller arrangement, using the reference numerals of
FIGS. 7 and 10
, in a schematic manner and analogous to
FIGS. 12
c
to
12
d
, rather than the six roller arrangement shown therein. The roller which is not visible in
FIGS. 7 and 10
is indicated as roller
83
in
FIG. 12
g.
The function and operation of the inducer
50
will now be described in more detail. After liquid has been added to the flap of the envelope from the moistener tank
70
, the envelope with the envelope body leading is transferred to the sealing station
30
. At that time the inducer
50
is in its lowered, second position (idle position) as shown in FIG.
10
. The drive roller
31
a
and the roller (not shown) at the end of the support arm
80
transport the leading edge of the envelope body beyond the sealing roller pair
31
until the crease line of the envelope, which is the line that is formed between the flap and the body of the envelope, is located before or substantially over the protrusion
52
of the inducer
50
. Then, the inducer is actuated by pivoting upwards around a fixed rotation axis
54
so that the crease line of the envelope is forced (pushed) towards and into the sealing nip of the sealing roller pair
31
. The protrusion
52
thus supports the crease line, which is to be inserted into the nip of roller pair
31
. In particular, drive roller
31
a
, which rotates in
FIGS. 7 and 10
in counter-clockwise direction, engages with sealing roller
31
b
, so that sealing roller
31
b
rotates in
FIGS. 7 and 10
in clockwise direction. Due to these rotation directions of sealing roller pair
31
, the body of the envelope, which is urged upwards by the rotation of the sealing roller
31
b
and the roller
53
carried by the inducer
50
, and the flap, which is urged upwards by the drive roller
31
a
and the roller (not shown) at the end of support arm
80
in a somewhat opposite direction to the envelope body, if the flap is still driven thereby, form a buckle. The tip of which is at the crease line of the envelope, which buckles upwards and thus forms the first part of the envelope that is inserted into the nip of sealing roller pair
31
. In any event, the buckling at the crease line upwards is supported by curved portion
51
of the inducer
50
and the protrusion
52
.
After the crease line of the envelope has been inserted in the nip of sealing roller pair
31
, the envelope is moved further upwards by the sealing roller pair
31
so that the flap is closed and sealed against the body of the envelope. The closed envelope is directed upwards by the roller pair
31
to an ejection roller
87
and the envelope pivots roughly the order of a right angle around a turning axis
86
as it exits the interior of the folder inserter
100
, so that it falls downwards onto the output station
90
, landing with the envelope flat on the output tray
91
.
If the inducer is in its raised, first position, the inducer
50
further acts as a diverter if only folded sheets are to be ejected out of the tabletop inserter and no envelope is required. For this purpose, the curved portion
51
corresponds substantially with the curvature of the drive roller
31
a
, and the protrusion
52
is substantially arranged underneath the nip of roller pair
31
.
However, if the inducer
50
is used for sealing a flap to the envelope, the envelope starting with its leading edge begins to exit the folder inserter
100
at a casing opening
55
of housing structure
2
, when the inducer
50
is in its lowered, second position. Subsequently, the crease line of the envelope is brought into contact with the sealing roller pair
31
by raising the inducer
50
, and sealed, as described above, and the envelope directed upwards to turning point
86
and ejected out of the housing structure
2
. The ejected envelopes are stored at output station
90
. Since the crease line of the envelope is inserted between the two sealing rollers
31
due to the inducer movement upwards to the raised position, and even though the envelope may have begun to exit the housing structure
2
via opening
55
before the inducer
50
pivots around rotation axis
54
from the lowered to the raised position, it is not necessary to know the length of the envelope, since the crease line of the envelope is taken as the determining factor. Thus, envelopes with different sizes can be accommodated since they are sealed with reference to the position of the crease line, which can be detected as described further on. This sealing method, with or without the inducer can also be applied to envelopes fed with the flap leading, rather than trailing.
As already described, the closed envelopes exit the housing structure
2
of the folder inserter at an opening which is not specifically indicated in FIG.
11
. The opening for ejecting the closed envelopes is underneath the plurality of ejection rollers
87
which are shown in FIG.
11
.
The selective driving of the various rollers, in one or the other direction, or both, as well as the timing of the various operations is effected by a controller (not shown), which may for example be run under micro processor control.
For optimum functioning of the folder inserter
100
, it is required that the envelope is appropriately positioned for the flapping, insertion, moistening and sealing operations, and in the case of moistening, that the deflector
85
is moved when the envelope flap is in the appropriate position, and in the case of the sealing operation that the inducer
50
is brought into its raised position at the appropriate time.
Referring now to
FIG. 13
, a sensor
93
which employs a photosensor
99
, a light source (not shown) and means
94
for interrupting the optical path therebetween, in order to detect an envelope in the envelope feed path
42
. The envelope feeder (
26
in
FIG. 1
) has traction belt
41
. Roller pair
43
serves to drive a fed envelope towards the insertion area
27
(stuffing station in FIG.
1
), back around the path
98
to the flapper blade
44
and flapping chamber
47
, and subsequently into the insertion area, as described above. The roller pair
43
is driven by a stepper motor (not shown). When an envelope
60
is fed by belt
41
along the envelope feed path and towards the insertion area (step
102
of FIG.
14
), a pivotably mounted diverter
96
first detects its leading edge (step
103
) and then detects its trailing edge (step
104
), which for an unflapped envelope corresponds to the crease line. This is as a result of a flag
94
moving between the light source and the photosensor, since it moves with the diverter, and serving to interrupt or open the optical path therebetween, depending on the relative position of the flag and the sensor. The stepper motor is stopped when the trailing edge is detected (optical path interrupted again) and the position the trailing edge (crease line) adopts is set as a datum position (datum point or predetermined reference position) for the trailing edge (crease line) (step
105
).
The length of the path between the datum position of the trailing edge (crease line) and the flapper blade
44
is a fixed distance (predetermined distance) and is the same for all envelope lengths. Hence the stepper motor will have to be driven (in the reverse direction) a fixed number of steps to position the trailing edge (crease line) of the envelope appropriately for the flapper blade, that is a predetermined reverse drive flapper count. The length of the path between the flapper blade
44
and the insertion area
27
is also a fixed distance and similarly means that the stepper motor will have to be driven (in the original direction) a respective fixed number of steps (a respective count) to the insertion area. Similarly, the distance the crease line of an envelope will have to be moved from the insertion area
27
to the sealing station
30
will be the same for all lengths of envelopes, and hence a respective stepper motor providing that movement will be stepped a respective fixed number of times, irrespective of the length of the envelope. Since the respective number of steps necessary to move the envelope to each area or station is fixed, correct coordination of the movement of other members at those areas or stations, such as the deflector
85
and the inducer
50
is facilitated. As indicated at step
106
of
FIG. 14
, embedded software can be provided to perform the steps to drive the step motor(s) for the predetermined fixed numbers of counts, and in the appropriate drive directions. The steps for a practical envelope movement process will include additional steps such as checking the envelope feed and sensor operation for errors, incorporating delays between the driving steps, and setting flags to indicate completed stages, thereby permitting related events to proceed. With reference to
FIGS. 15
a
and
15
b
, which together comprise a single flow chart, a specific embodiment of a program for envelope feeding, flapping and preparing for insertion will now be described. The reference numerals used in
FIG. 13
for the envelope feeder (
41
), the sensor (
93
) and the roller drive (
43
) have also been used in
FIGS. 15
a
and
15
b.
The routine starts with driving the feeder
41
and the roller pair
43
(step
150
). A query is made
151
regarding whether or not the sensor has been made, namely has the sensor detected the presence of an envelope, if not a sequence
154
-
158
determines if the envelope has been driven for long enough, if there is an error or attempts a restart of feeder
41
. If the sensor has detected an envelope a flag is set
152
which can be used for other purposes, and the feeder
41
driven
153
for the appropriate time so that the sensor can detect the trailing edge of the envelope, namely the crease line, at
159
. Failure to detect at this stage can result in an error message and includes checking that the envelope was driven for long enough
160
. If the sensor is clear the roller drive
43
is driven for a predetermined time corresponding to a clearance count
161
, is stopped
162
, reversed
163
, the reverse state indicated, and the envelope driven in the reverse direction (up the flapper path) for a predetermined time
164
and after a short delay
165
, driven forward
166
a predetermined time so that the envelope is flapped and driven to the insertion point in one step. A flag is set
167
to indicate the envelope has been flapped and this flag can be used for other purposes i.e. to start other processes. A query is raised at
168
regarding the completion of the insertion counts and roller pair
43
is stopped
196
, an envelope complete flag set
170
, which indicates that the envelope is in the stuffing (inserting) position, fingers for throating the envelope are driven
171
, and the drive for roller pair
43
reversed for a predetermined time to pull the envelope back onto the fingers
172
.
As will be appreciated, all distances to be traversed are measured from a datum point corresponding to the position of the trailing edge (crease line) of the envelope at a particular point in the process and thus are independent of the length of the envelope. The same amount of movement, provided by a roller or other drive means, will be needed to move an envelope of any length of envelope between one particular operation area and the next. Whereas in the above description the process involves stopping the envelope when its trailing edge is detected and the datum point set, stopping is not necessary and the sensor position can be defined as the datum position and the distance to the next operation station measured from it. Whereas the above description specifically refers to a process involving the movement of envelopes of various lengths, it will be appreciated that the same principle, that is sensing the trailing edge of any elongate element, or article with leading and trailing edges, can be used in a corresponding multi-operation process which can accommodate elongate elements of various lengths. Indeed, the same principle can be applied to the detection of leading edges and movement of the leading edges of articles by predetermined amounts between operation stations. Further, rather than using a stop in the folding process as described above, a trailing edge detection and controlled subsequent movement arrangement could be employed.
It is to be understood that the use of the collation rollers represent one particular preferred way of aligning the sheets of the collation. However, other ways of achieving this result are also contemplated, such as movable stops.
It will be appreciated that the described collation apparatus is of simple construction, requires minimal operator effort to reload the sheet feeder and is able to assemble any number of sheets to form each collation, without needing a corresponding number of sheet feeders.
Furthermore, the layout of the principal internal components of the inserter results in an extremely compact and ergonomic arrangement, especially due to the design of the collation apparatus with only a single feeding tray, the space-saving design of the folding station with its crossing sheet paths, and the way in which the feed and transfer paths from the sheet feeder and accumulation station, respectively, reorientate the sheets from approximately horizontal to substantially vertical, which largely determines or at least restricts the positions of the first and second folders and feed tray to be desirably configured from an accessibility standpoint whilst maintaining a compact layout.
It will be appreciated that the described sheet folding apparatus is of simple and compact construction, locates its folders in convenient positions for access, employs generally straight paths for the passage of the sheet collation and relies on the folding rollers of the sheet folders to achieve the required reorientations of the collation. Positioning the sheet folders in upper and rear sections of the inserter housing avoids the need to provide access to them from the front of the inserter, where the control panel and operator interface are necessarily provided.
Although the described sheet folding apparatus serves to double-fold (C-fold) a sheet collation comprising a plurality of sheets, it will be appreciated that it could be used instead to double-fold a single sheet.
In known manner, (i.e. by adjusting the settings of the first and second is sheet folders), it is possible to adjust the type of fold, such as Z-fold or double fold (i.e. fold in half and in half again). It is possible to fold the sheet or sheet collation only once.
As will be appreciated the design of the moistener involves a one piece moistener tank, which is a low-cost component, which readily allows the user to see when liquid needs to be added due to the window, which is easily removable for cleaning purposes, for replacement of the wicks or the whole tank structure, and which is easily partially removed for the addition of liquid.
The apparatus for sealing envelopes is low cost and able to accommodate envelopes of various sizes, since it is the position of the creaseline which determines (controls) the operation. Excessively long envelopes do not require the apparatus to be extended in length, rather they can emerge through the opening
55
temporarily prior to the actual sealing, if fed with the body at the leading edge. The use of one roller from each of the two transport means to form the sealing roller pair also reduces the cost and the space required in comparison with use of a separate sealing pair.
Claims
- 1. Apparatus for sealing an envelope, having a body and a flap with a crease line therebetween, comprising:(a) first transport means for advancing the envelope with the flap in an open position in a transport direction along a transport path, said transport means being arranged for applying drive to the envelope at a first location; (b) means for determining the position of the crease line along the transport path; (c) pivoting envelope buckling means operative in response to the crease line reaching a predetermined position, to engage the envelope from opposite sides at a second location, spaced from the first location, and cause the envelope to buckle in a direction laterally of the transport path, thereby partially closing the flap to the envelope body, and (d) sealing means located adjacent the transport path for receiving the buckling envelope with its crease line leading, for completing the closing of the flap to the body of the envelope.
- 2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pivoting envelope buckling means is arranged to be in driving engagement with opposite faces of the envelope, so as to apply drive to the envelope in a direction generally opposite to the transport direction of the first transport means.
- 3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sealing means are arranged to close the envelope by applying pressure to the flap and body of the envelope from opposite sides.
- 4. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first transport means are formed by a first roller paid.
- 5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the pivoting envelope buckling means includes a second roller pair, one roller of which is a drive roller and the other of which is a driven roller, arranged to be brought into and out of driving contact with the envelope.
- 6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the driven roller of the second roller pair is carried by a movable inducer, the driven roller being arranged to be brought into and out of driving contact with the envelope by movement of the inducer.
- 7. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the inducer is pivotably mounted on a rotation axis.
- 8. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the inducer comprises a curved guide portion, at the free end of which a protrusion is located for urging the crease line of the envelope into a sealing means.
- 9. Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the sealing means comprises a sealing roller pair whose nip is arranged to receive the partially closed envelope with its crease line leading.
- 10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a drive roller of the first transport means and the drive roller of the envelope buckling means together form the sealing roller pair for sealing the envelope.
- 11. A method for sealing an envelope having a body and a flap with a crease line therebetween, comprising:(a) transporting the envelope with its flap in an open position in a first direction along a transport path by applying drive to the envelope at a first location; (b) engaging the envelope from opposite sides at a second location spaced from the first location with a pivoting inducer, when the crease line reaches a predetermined position, thereby causing the envelope to buckle in a direction laterally of the transport path to partially close the flap to the envelope body; (c) applying pressure to the buckling envelope with its crease line leading at a location adjacent to the transport path, to complete the closing of the flap to the body of the envelope.
- 12. A method according to claim 11, wherein step (b) comprises applying drive to the envelope in generally the opposite direction to the first direction.
- 13. A method according to claim 12 further comprising inducing the envelope to buckle in the lateral direction by applying a force on the envelope between said first and second locations.
- 14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the envelope is advanced along the transport path with its open flap trailing.
- 15. A method according to claim 14, further comprising:maintaining drive to the envelope at said first location while engaging the envelope from opposite sides at the second location.
- 16. Apparatus for closing an envelope, having a body and a flap with a crease line therebetween, comprising:(a) first transport means for advancing the envelope with the flap in an open position in a transport direction along a transport path, said transport means being arranged for applying drive to the envelope at a first location; (b) means for determining the position of the crease line along the transport path; (c) pivoting envelope buckling means operative in response to the crease line reaching a predetermined position, to engage the envelope from opposite sides at a second location, and cause the envelope to buckle in a direction laterally of the transport path, thereby partially closing the flap to the envelope body; and (d) closing means located adjacent the transport path for receiving the buckling envelope with its crease line leading, for completing the closing of the flap to the body of the envelope.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Foreign Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
9301296 |
Feb 1995 |
NL |