Patent Application
20070132167
The present invention relates to a device for sequencing sheets to be cut and processed in an inserter system.
Inserter systems, such as those applicable for use with the present invention, are typically used by organizations such as banks, insurance companies and utility companies for producing a large volume of specific mailings where the contents of each mail item are directed to a particular addressee. Also, other organizations, such as direct mailers, use inserts for producing a large volume of generic mailings where the contents of each mail item are substantially identical for each addressee. Examples of such inserter systems are the 8 series, 9 series, and APS™ inserter systems available from Pitney Bowes Inc. of Stamford Conn.
In many respects, the typical inserter system resembles a manufacturing assembly line. Sheets and other raw materials (other sheets, enclosures, and envelopes) enter the inserter system as inputs. Then, a variety of modules or workstations in the inserter system work cooperatively to process the sheets until a finished mail piece is produced. The exact configuration of each inserter system depends upon the needs of each particular customer or installation.
Typically, inserter systems prepare mail pieces by gathering collations of documents on a conveyor. The collations are then transported on the conveyor to an insertion station where they are automatically stuffed into envelopes. After being stuffed with the collations, the envelopes are removed from the insertion station for further processing. Such further processing may include automated closing and sealing the envelope flap, weighing the envelope, applying postage to the envelope, and finally sorting and stacking the envelopes.
The input stages of a typical inserter system are depicted in
The cut pages must subsequently be accumulated into collations corresponding to the multi-page documents to be included in individual mail pieces. This gathering of related document pages occurs in the accumulator module 400 where individual pages are stacked on top of one another.
The control system for the inserter senses markings on the individual pages to determine what pages are to be collated together in the accumulator module 400. In a typical inserter application, mail pieces may include varying number of pages to be accumulated. When a document accumulation is complete, then the accumulation is discharged as a unit from the accumulator 400.
Downstream of the accumulator 400, a folder 500 typically folds the accumulation of documents to fit in the desired envelopes. To allow the same inserter system to be used with different sized mailings, the folder 500 can typically be adjusted to make different sized folds on different sized paper.
Downstream of the folder 500, a buffer transport 600 transports and stores accumulated and folded documents in series in preparation for transferring the documents to the synchronous inserter chassis 700. By lining up a backlog of documents in the buffer 600, the asynchronous nature of the upstream accumulator 400 will have less impact on the synchronous inserter chassis 700. On the inserter chassis 700 inserts are added to the folded accumulation prior to insertion into an envelope at a later module.
Sensors 12 and 13 scan a mark or code printed on the web 120. The mark or code identify which mail piece that particular portion of web 120 belongs to, and provides instructions for processing and assembling the mail pieces. In addition to using the scanned information for providing assembling instructions, the scanning process is useful for tracking the documents' progress through the mail piece assembly process. Once the location of a document is known based on a sensor reading, the document's position may be tracked throughout the system by monitoring the displacement of the transport system. In particular, encoders may be incorporated in the transport systems to give a reliable measurement of displacements that have occurred since a document was at a certain location.
After the web 120 has been split into at least two portions, the web is then cut into individual sheets by cutter 21. The cut is made across the web, transverse to the direction of transport. Downstream of the cutter 21 the individual cut sheets are transported to the right angle turn 30 portion of the system.
Right angle turn devices 30 are known in the art and will not be described in detail here. However, and exemplary right angle turn will comprise turn bars 32 and 33. Of the two paper paths formed by the right angle turn 30, turn bar 33 forms an inner paper path for transporting sheet 1. Turn bar 32 forms a longer outer paper path on which sheet 2 travels.
Because sheets 1 have a shorter path through the right angle turn 30, a lead edge of sheet 1 will be in front of a lead edge of sheet 2 downstream of the right angle turn 30. Also, the turn bars 32 and 33 may be arranged such that sheet 2 will lay on top of sheet 1 downstream of the right angle turn, thus forming a shingled arrangement.
In a feed cycle, the paper is advanced past the blade of the guillotine cutter 21 by a distance equal to the length of the cut sheet and is stopped. In a cut cycle, the blade 21 lowers to shear off the sheet of paper, and then withdraws from the paper. As soon as the blade 21 withdraws from the paper path, the next feed cycle begins. The feed and cut cycles are carried out in such an alternate fashion over the entire operation.
Thus, it can be seen in this right handed turn arrangement of
If the lead sheet 1 were positioned on the left side, as depicted in
An improved apparatus and method is described herein for cutting and processing sheets from a web of printed material. The web is comprised of first and second side-by-side portions of sheets along a length of the web. The first and second portions each having a series of aligning printed sheets.
A first transport is arranged to transport the web in a first horizontal direction along the length of the web. A web splitter is arranged to split the first and second portions of the web as they are transported on the first transport.
An extended path transport is provided in line with the first transport to transport the second portion of the web in an extended path. A direct path transport in line with the first transport arranged to transport the first portion of the web on a more direct path. As a result of these different paths for the first and second web portions, downstream the first portion and the second portions are returned to a side-by-side arrangement on the first transport with the second portion one sheet length behind its original position next to the first portion.
A sheet cutting device is arranged to transversely cut the first and second portions to separate them into separate side-by-side sheets. This sheet cutting device may be positioned before or after the extended path and the direct path portions of the transport, and the structure of those paths will vary depending on whether the portions are still attached, or cut into separate sheets.
A right angle turn module is positioned downstream for receiving and turning pairs of cut side-by-side sheets traveling in the first direction. After the right angle turn module, the pairs of sheets are reoriented to be traveling serially in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction on a second transport. Also after right angle turning, within the pair of turned sheets, a sheet from the second web portion is traveling downstream of a sheet from the first web portion.
Thus, by providing a longer path for the second portion of the web, the problem described above can be solved. The output of the right angle turn module provides the sheets in the proper sequence, even if the web was printed with the first and second portions transposed from the arrangement that would normally be suitable for the direction of that right angle turn.
Further details of the present invention are provided in the accompanying drawings, detailed description and claims.
As seen in
Conventionally, the left to right web 120 in
The improved system described herein provides a method and apparatus to accept any 2-up printed web on the same input hardware without reducing throughput performance.
Alternatively, to achieve high cut rates, servo controlled rollers can be substituted for tractors to reduce web forces an eliminate web breakage. Methods for controlling the feeding of a web are known in the art, and do not constitute part of the present invention.
The vacuum chamber 55 may be a dual chamber design, with a thin wall separating the chamber into two for each respective loop. This wall not only prohibits the loops from interfering or colliding with one another during operation but also eliminates vacuum cross flow between the loops. This can maintain loop stability when left and right loop sizes are different by one sheet length.
Referring to
For applications that do not require corrective sequencing, the loops are the same size. Presence and knowledge of web lead edge positions during loading for machine control is preferably tracked by photocells. In the preferred method, the first sheet or set of sheets are positioned to come to rest one sheet length past the guillotine blade 51 in preparation for an impending cut command.
For high speed operation the transport of the web by the tractors 54 can be supplemented by an additional control nip to provide conveying means near the non-tractor side of the sheet. In such a method, the tractor 54 and roller are used together to control the web. For pinless applications, controlled nips may be required pre and post loop without use of tractor assemblies. Pinless applications also require use of control marks on the web and scanners to detect them to provide feedback to the control system to ensure consistent cut length and location.
Tractor 64 (for pin-holed paper) transports the web as it is cut by center slitter 11. The web is then cut transversely into separate sheet by cutter 21. Downstream of cutter 21, sheets 62 destined for the outer right angle turn 30 path (around turn bar 32) travel a shorter path. The shorter path can be substantially a straight line, but may also be a loop. Sheets 63 destined for the inner path (around turn bar 33) travels a longer path through sequencing module 61, that is preferably adjustable, to provide one cut sheet length of additional travel more than the outer path before reaching the right angle turn module 30. The longer path introduces a time delay for the inner path that results in correctly sequencing the sheets before entering the right angle turn module 30 to yield proper downstream accumulation. For webs that do not require corrective sequencing, a flipper gate 68, located at the entrance of the sequencing module 61, can be actuated to allow inner path sheets to bypass the additional travel loop.
For pinless applications, control nips would replace the tractor assembly 64. Pinless applications also require use of control marks on the web and scanners to detect them to provide feedback to the control system to ensure consistent cut length and location.
The configuration depicted in
Another advantage is that sequencing downstream of the blade 21 will allow the web to be controlled jointly by both left and right tractor assemblies prior to center slitting during aggressive accelerations as opposed to a pre-blade sequencing solution where each center slit web is being controlled by only one tractor 54.
Finally, because center slitting is accomplished just prior to the blade, the load sequence is simplified over a pre-blade sequencing solution. In its simplest mechanical implementation, a pre-blade solution will require two separate steps for the operator to load the paper.
Although the invention has been described with respect to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and various other changes, omissions and deviations in the form and detail thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.
