Patent Grant
11511561
The present disclosure relates to mail processing and customer communication, and notably to improvements in mail production systems incorporating notably paper handling machines used for folding and inserting documents and inserts into envelopes.
Despite a noticeable decrease in printed correspondence since the advent of Internet, physical mail remains a preferred and efficient communication channel for many customer segments. Letters have undoubtedly more substance than emails and a higher propensity to capture and retain customer attention. Modern output management technology allows the generation of highly personalized documents, but also to make them more interactive thanks to specific barcodes, such as a QR code, which behave as hyperlinks on paper. Another recent development in printed customer communication is the reverse envelope, which was recently authorized by the UPU (Universal Postal union) for bulk mailing. A reverse envelope resembles a normal envelope, except that the address window is on the flap side, along with postage and other marks used for Postal processing, leaving the opposite side fully available for customer communication or advertising. Mailers have thus more opportunities to capture customer's attention before the envelope is opened. On the other hand, customers are already used to heavily printed envelopes and may not even notice that these are reverse. Also the mail production process is complicated because the content of the envelope must be reversed before insertion. In many cases, this will result in an additional flip-over module.
The manufacturing of large batch of mail follows a number of operations. First, an output management system will receive data relative to a group of recipients from an enterprise application and prepare the documents intended for each individual customer. The system uses standard templates in which specific customer data are inserted, along with mailpiece identifiers and/or machine control instructions. A barcode symbol intended for interactive customer communication can be inserted at this stage. The batch of documents can then be virtually sorted according to the Postal distribution order, or split in various parts corresponding to different geographic areas, and/or to the capabilities of the local production equipment. Once all these operations have been performed, the batch of documents is printed.
Mailpiece identifiers and machine control instructions are used to trigger the operation of mail processing equipment at various stages of the manufacturing process, and notably insertion. There are indeed several modes of operating an inserter. In the simplest one, the job parameters are fixed and the same tasks are performed on all mailpieces. In a more elaborate mode, e.g., an open loop mode, each mailpiece bears control codes that are read and interpreted by the inserter. In the most sophisticated (e.g., data driven) mode, corresponding to a close loop mode, the mailpiece bears a unique identifier that points to a database where the finishing instructions for that particular mailpiece are recorded.
The finishing instructions of a mailpiece include the number of pages, eventually the fold type (C, Z or V fold) and a (larger) size of envelope, specific inserts that have to be added, and any information or image that needs to be printed on the envelope, including customer address. Indeed, some mailers prefer non-window envelopes for privileged customer communication. As the documents are fed into the inserter, mailpiece identifiers (ID's) and/or control codes are read by the machine, the various pages of the mailpieces are collated, folded and inserted into an envelope. Depending on their thickness or size, specific inserts may be added before or after folding. Envelope printing may take place before or after insertion. The inserter is typically a combination of modules corresponding to the successive operations of this process, each one having a variety of options. For instance, envelopes may be water-sealed just after insertion, the sealing module forming part of the inserting module. Scanners are used to read finishing instructions but also for integrity tracking purposes. A franking machine, a stacker or a sorting system may be added to the inserter to complete the manufacturing process.
A particular form of communication that has been existing for decades is called self-mailer. Self-mailers are pre-printed business forms which have adhesive or cohesive deposits that can be activated by pressure to produce a secure, tamper proof document. The main benefit of such forms is that they can carry public information externally and conceal confidential information internally when the form is simplex printed. Furthermore an addressee can immediately tell if the document has been opened by a third party by simple visual inspection. The adhesive or cohesive deposits are typically located on both sides of the document close to the document edges and in the proximity of regions of the form where fold lines will be made. A particular arrangement of cohesive deposits, together with the fold lines, dictates how the form is folded and sealed, and hence the quality of the seal and the level of security of the document.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,132,554 provides an example of an integrated system for folding, inserting, pressure sealing, delivering, and optionally separating into different jobs, self-mailer type business forms. A common housing mounted by wheels supports in, or on, it: a folder for folding paper sheets with pressure activated adhesive to form pre-mailers; an inserter for receipt of pre-mailers from the folder and for placing insert sheets into the pre-mailers; a conventional pressure sealer module for pressure sealing pre-mailers to form mailer type business forms; and a delivery device for delivering stacked forms horizontally out of a bottom portion of the housing.
GB2378154 describes an apparatus suitable for pressure sealing documents having a paper substrate, at least one fold line and a plurality of cohesive deposits, comprising means, such as rollers for applying a pressure to at least one edge of the folded document 1, which is less than 100 lbs per linear inch (1786 Kg per meter) light enough such that the cohesive bonds formed are weaker than the shear strength of the paper. In such a way, an envelope formed from the folded document might be opened without tearing the paper substrate, leaving a greater area for customer communication and allowing the document to be archived or reused.
The system of U.S. Pat. No. 6,132,554 is presumably capable of inserting single printed sheets, folded sheets, multiple sheet elements tied or affixed together, or even packets of material. It is however composed of numerous modules to prepare and feed the inserts separately from the self-mailer type business forms. The pressure sealing module itself is quite complex and requires typically 200 to 250 pounds per lineal inch. Although the pressure level is lower in the apparatus of GB2378154, its construction is also very stiff, complex and expensive. Notably, the folding of business forms and sealing are still separated functions. There is a need to provide a simpler apparatus for manufacturing mailpieces and a simpler method thereof.
Embodiments of the invention can be summarized as a simpler apparatus for, and method of manufacturing mailpieces. More specifically, the apparatus and the method provide a much simpler and cost effective construction than traditional pressure sealers or inserters.
The apparatus than can accommodate a large variety of inserts, including single printed sheets, folded sheets and multiple sheet elements tied or affixed together, or even small items such as goodies or sweets.
Embodiments of the invention can be summarized as an apparatus and a method which do not use high pressure or water for the sealing of the mailpieces and that can accommodate a large variety of thicknesses and shapes for the content to be inserted.
The method for manufacturing mailpieces, comprising: supplying a piece of cold seal paper to form an envelope body; collating documents to form the content to be inserted in the mailpiece; folding the envelope body around the content and sealing the mailpiece in a single finishing step, act or operation.
The use of cold seal adhesives, which have been available for some time in the packaging industry, allows paper coated with these materials to be wrapped around an item, forming a protective barrier between the product and a shipping container box. Cold seal paper adheres to itself and not to the product being wrapped therein. Cold seal adhesives commonly contain natural rubber latex as the main ingredient and various additives, non-hazardous and having little or no volatile organic compounds, making them suitable for many applications, including incidental or permanent food contact. Cold seal paper is available in rolls of various weights and colours. The formed seal, although not completely secure, is strong enough for postal collection, sorting and distribution. The bond is maintained for several months and is compatible with marketing applications. Higher bond values can be achieved by particular formulations or a higher pressure used during the sealing process.
Advantageously, the piece of cold seal paper is cut from a roll feed according to desired dimensions of the mailpiece.
Preferably, the documents are collated in a document set composed of at least one document, and the envelope and the document set are folded together in the single finishing act or pre-folded before the single finishing act.
Advantageously, an insert is nested into the document set or added to the document set before the single finishing act.
Alternatively, the insert is collated and folded with the document set.
Advantageously, the document set is folded according to a Z, a C, or a V fold, depending on the number of pages or an insert type for a particular batch of mailpieces, or for a particular mailpiece.
Embodiments of the invention can be summarized as an apparatus for manufacturing mailpieces, comprising a supply module for supplying cold seal paper to form an envelope body, a feeding module for collating documents to form the content to be inserted in the mailpiece, and a pair of finishing rollers for folding the envelope body around the content and sealing the mailpiece in a single finishing act.
The apparatus of the invention features a combined folding and inserting unit. The envelope body is formed of a sheet of cold seal paper which is taken from a roll and cut to the appropriate size. A pre-folded document set is aligned with the envelope body and both are folded together. An insert or a small item can be added to the set just before folding. The folding pressure is low enough to accommodate a large variety of shapes for the content to be inserted; yet high enough to ensure a strong seal that can withstand the postal handling process.
The ability of the paper to only adhere to itself allows to form cold seal envelopes not adhering to the contained documents or inserts. Optionally, staples or eyelets can be affixed to the envelope for tamper detection.
Various embodiments of the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:
The cold seal paper 26 is supplied from a roll feed 28. Only the inner side of the paper is coated with cold seal adhesive material. The cold seal paper is unrolled by an unwinder 30. It will be appreciated that the inner side does not adhere to other materials but presents a significant grip, allowing an easy conveyance by conventional metal, rubber or plastic rollers. A blank piece of cold seal paper is fed under a printer 32 to print any desired information or image, and notably the customer address, under the control of the controller 12. The paper is then driven into a cutting module 34. The blank piece of cold seal paper now bearing the customer address is cut to form an envelope body 36 according to desired dimensions of the mailpiece and fed into a folding and inserting module 38. Otherwise it may be introduced in the folding and inserting module first, and then cut just before the folding cycle (see the module in dotted lines on
Documents are extracted one by one from the document feeder 20 and then collated according to the number of pages of the particular mailpiece. The collation operation may take place in an intermediary module (not represented) or take place in the folding and inserting module 38, as a preliminary step of the folding cycle. In a preferred embodiment, once the document set 19 is completed, a first fold is initiated, such as to present the pre-folded document set in front of the envelope body 36. An insert 22 may be extracted from the insert feeder 24 and positioned in front of the document set. Then the document set, the insert and the envelope body are folded together, and a mailpiece is created and extracted from the folding and inserting module 38.
Additional operations may take place after the mailpiece is created. For instance, the mailpiece may be transported by a conveyor 40a under a second printer 42 to print additional information on the envelope, for instance a franking mark that must be applied to the mailpiece. It shall be appreciated that, unlike a standard envelope, there is no predefined plain of flap side. This offers a great flexibility in the way information and images can be laid out and printed. Alternatively, this second printer 42 may be the only one, and the printing of address and other desired information only happen after the mailpiece has been created. However, it is preferable to print all desired information before the folding and inserting module 38, when the paper is flat and well positioned. Indeed, the surface of the mailpiece may be uneven due to the shape of documents or inserts, necessitating a greater print distance and causing potentially poor print quality.
The apparatus may also include a binder (e.g., stapler) 44 to affix staples or eyelets to the mailpiece. Such elements are not required to maintain the integrity of the mailpiece, but serve as tamper detection means, by tearing off the paper if the envelope is opened before reaching the final recipient, which might be required if the content of the mailpiece is confidential. The staples or eyelets are preferably affixed on the edges of the envelope, in order to leave the content undamaged. Once all these operations have been completed, the mailpieces may be transported by the same or another conveyor 40B and checked out by a scanner 46 for integrity tracking purposes, and then transported to a staking module 48. Mailpiece ID's or addresses or tracking barcode that have been printed on the mailpieces are read by the scanner 46 and reported to the controller 12.
Documents 18 are extracted one by one from the document feeder 20 and then collated according to the number of pages of the particular mailpiece. In a preferred embodiment, once the document set 19 is completed, a first fold is initiated, by pushing the collated set into a first group of folding rollers 52 via transport rollers 54. The first group of folding rollers cooperates with a folding pocket 56 to perform a “buckle fold” in a manner well known in the art. The pre-folded document set is then positioned in front of the envelope body 36 facing the pair of finishing rollers 50. Inserts 22 are extracted from the insert feeder 24 and positioned by transport rollers 58 in front of the document set 19. In a preferred embodiment, an insert 22 is gripped by a folding knife 60. The folding knife moves back and forth along the direction indicated by the arrow, in order to push the pre-folded set and the envelope body 36 between the finishing rollers 20, so as to initiate a second fold. As the knife moves back to its initial position, the insert 22 is released and nested into the pre-folded set.
Then in a single finishing act, the document set, the insert and the envelope body are folded together, the content is inserted and simultaneously the mailpiece is sealed. The document set 19, the insert 22 and the envelope body 36 are shown in the dotted circle as they pass between the finishing rollers 50, after the insert has been released. The inner side of the envelope body adhere to itself, but not to the content. The finishing rollers 50 are soft enough to accommodate a large variety of thicknesses and shapes for the content to be inserted. A mailpiece is created and subsequently extracted from the folding and inserting module 38. The finishing rollers 50 are spring biased to apply a pressure of typically 4 to 10 lbs per linear inch on the envelope, thus significantly lower than the ones of conventional pressure sealers, in order to leave the content undamaged.
Alternative embodiments of the folding and inserting module 38 are also possible. For instance, inserts may be added to the document set during or just after collation, in order to be folded together. Adversely, inserts may be pre-folded separately before being nested in the document set. Instead of being nested, inserts may also be added on top of the folded document set before initiating the final fold. Instead of a Z fold, a C fold may also be created on the document set, by adapting the length of the first folding pocket in a manner well known in the art.
A complete and sealed mailpiece is illustrated in
Depending on the thickness of the content a slightly longer piece of cold seal paper may be cut in any of the embodiments of
A bottom view of the mailpiece is illustrated in
At 610, the cold seal paper 26 is unwound from the roll feed 28. It will be appreciated that the inner side does not adhere to other materials but presents a significant grip, allowing an easy conveyance by conventional metal, rubber or plastic rollers.
At 620 a blank piece of the cold seal paper is fed under the printing unit 32 to print any desired information or image, and notably the customer address.
At 630, the piece of cold seal paper bearing the customer address is cut to form an envelope body 36 according to the desired dimensions of the mailpiece and fed into the folding and inserting module 38. Cutting the envelope body may also be performed before printing, or adversely just before the folding cycle after introduction in the folding and inserting module.
At 640, documents are extracted one by one from the document feeder 20 and, at 650, collated according to the number of pages of the particular mailpiece. No collation is required if there is only one page. The collation may take place in an intermediary module or take place in the folding and inserting module 38, as a preliminary operation of the folding cycle.
At 652, it is determined whether an insert needs to be added to the document set. If the answer is yes, then an insert is fed from the insert feeder 24 at step 655, followed by the optional folding of the insert at step 658. It shall be noted that several insert feeders can be used if several insert types are required by the application, and the method is not limited to only one type of inserts and one insert feeder.
At 660, the document set is pre-folded and the insert is nested at 665. The insert may also be added on top of the folded set as described above. Depending on the configuration of the folding and inserting module 38, the document set may be only pre-folded, or not folded at all and just positioned in front of the envelope body 36.
At 670, the document set 19, the insert 22 and the envelope body 36 are folded together, a mailpiece is created and simultaneously sealed as the inner side of the envelope body adhere to itself. The mailpiece is subsequently extracted from the folding and inserting module 38.
At 675, additional information such as a franking mark is printed on the mailpiece by the second printing module 42. This second printing module may be the only one, and the printing of address and other desired information only happen after the mailpiece has been created.
At 680, staples or eyelets are affixed to the mailpiece by the stapling module 44. Such elements are not required to maintain the integrity of the mailpiece, but serve as tamper detection means, by tearing off the paper if the envelope is opened before reaching the final recipient, which might be required if the content of the mailpiece is confidential. The staples or eyelets are preferably affixed on the edges of the mailpiece, in order to leave the content undamaged. The terms “stapling”, “staples” or “eyelets” are used in a broad sense to designate all kinds of fixtures which may be used to tie the two flaps of the envelope body, in addition to the adhesive material.
Additional acts or operations, such as scanning for integrity tracking purposes or stacking of the mailpieces can be added without departing from the spirit of the invention. Alternative method acts are possible. For instance, inserts may be added to the document set during or just after collation, in order to be folded together. Adversely, inserts may be pre-folded separately before being nested in the document set. Instead of being nested, inserts may also be added on top of the folded document set before initiating the final fold. Instead of a Z fold, a C or a V fold may be created on the document set, by adapting the length of the first folding pocket in a manner well known in the art, or no fold at all by bypassing the first folding act. The fold type may also depend on the number of pages or the insert type for a particular batch or mailpieces, or for a particular mailpiece, and vary within the manufacturing of the batch of mailpieces.
Although the apparatus 10, and notably the folding and inserting module 38, have been represented in a certain orientation with the mailpiece leaving in a sensibly horizontal manner for better understanding, other embodiments are possible. For instance, a pre-cut envelope body 36 may be printed and collated with the document set, with appropriate margins left on all sides, and the whole set pushed downwardly between the finishing rollers 50, with or without an insert being nested. Adaptations and variations of the apparatus and method can be considered without departing from the spirit of the invention, which is reflected in the appended claims.
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