Embodiments herein generally relate to electrostatographic printers and copiers or reproduction machines, and more particularly, concern a system and method of printing small envelopes, and more particularly, to systems and methods that use media sheets that have multiple opposing partially formed envelopes.
Many companies are interested in providing customers with standard, low cost small envelopes (such as #10 envelopes) that can be easily processed through existing printing production products. Standard “off the shelf” #10 envelopes are only 4.125″ long. Standard nip spacing in a paper path of a printing device can be about 165 mm long (6.5″). Transporting such small envelopes through a paper path would require much closer nip spacing than the current standard nip spacing resulting in increased cost, power, and noise if printing products were manufactured to have smaller nip spacing. Feeding and stacking design would also see significant impacts in cost, power, and noise if they were redesigned to handle small envelopes, since they are not currently designed to feed or stack papers of such a small size.
Therefore, the following disclosure presents a system and method that utilizes a sheet that has a “double envelope” which is intended to be die cut and folded to produce pairs of individual envelopes having the same dimensions as a standard #10 envelope. As explained in greater detail below, with embodiments herein, the two envelopes are joined together along the top edge of the envelope flap. Before being separated from one another, the pairs of envelopes are mirror images of each other. Therefore, the printing process prints addresses and/or other information in a proper orientation for each individual envelope (that are upside down with respect to one another) since the envelopes face opposite each other. After printing, the envelopes are separated (die cut) to leave two separate envelopes.
Embodiments herein include a method of printing small envelopes, such as #10 envelopes. The method supplies media sheets that have multiple opposing partially formed envelopes using a roller nip based sheet feeding system. If the individual envelopes were fed into the sheet feeding system, they would be too small because the sheet feeding system has nip spacing larger than the individual envelopes. Therefore, embodiments herein use media sheets that are large enough for the nip spacing, and that have such multiple opposing partially formed envelopes.
Once the sheets are supplied, the method places markings on the sheets of the opposing partially formed envelopes. Because the partially formed envelopes oppose one another, the markings have opposite orientations. Saying the markings have “opposite orientations” means that the markings have a first orientation and a second orientation that is upside down with respect to the first orientation.
After printing, the method separates the opposing partially formed envelopes to leave partially formed individual envelopes. The media sheets have a separating line between pairs of the opposing partially formed envelopes and the method separates the media sheets along the separating line. The partially formed individual envelopes are then folded to produce completed individual envelopes. Also, the folding process folds a panel of the partially formed individual envelopes bordering the separating line toward the center of the partially formed individual envelopes to put the envelopes in final form (completed individual envelopes).
This disclosure also presents apparatus embodiments that include a media supply that maintains the media sheets and a printing engine that places markings on the sheets. Again, such markings have opposite orientations on the opposing envelopes of the sheets. The apparatus also includes a separator (cutter or dicer) that separates the opposing partially formed envelopes after the printing engine places the marking, to leave partially formed individual envelopes. The separator divides the media sheets along the separating line.
A folding device (folder) folds the partially formed individual envelopes to produce the completed individual envelopes. The folder device folds a panel of the partially formed individual envelopes bordering the separating line toward the center of the partially formed individual envelopes to put the envelopes in final form (completed individual envelopes).
A roller nip based sheet feeding system provides a sheet path between the media supply, the printing engine, the separator, and the folder. Again, the sheet feeding system has nip spacing larger than the size of the individual envelopes. Therefore, embodiments herein use media sheets that are large enough for the nip spacing, and that have such multiple opposing partially formed envelopes.
These and other features are described in, or are apparent from, the following detailed description.
Various exemplary embodiments of the systems and methods are described in detail below, with reference to the attached drawing figures, in which:
As mentioned above, many companies are interested in providing customers with standard, low cost small envelopes that can be easily processed through existing printing production products. However, transporting such small envelopes through a paper path would require much closer nip spacing than the current standard nip spacing resulting in increased cost, power, and noise if printing products were manufactured to have smaller nip spacing. Feeding and stacking design would also see significant impacts in cost, power, and noise if they were redesigned to handle small envelopes.
Therefore, as shown in flowchart form in
Thus, one feature of the embodiments herein is that they are useful with envelopes of any size and shape that are too small for the processing equipment to which they are being supplied. If the individual envelopes were fed into the sheet feeding system, they would be too small because the sheet feeding system has nip spacing larger than the individual envelopes. Therefore, embodiments herein use media sheets that are large enough for the nip spacing, and that have such multiple opposing partially formed envelopes.
More specifically, referring to
The sheet designs shown in
The details regarding different ways to make envelopes, different types of folds, different types of paper cutters, different types of adhesives, etc. are well known to those ordinarily skilled in the art is shown for example by U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,845,864; 5,887,780; 5,050,812; 4,807,805; 4,071,997; and 761,912 (the complete disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference) and such structures and processes are not discussed in detail herein.
Once the sheets are supplied in item 100 (
After printing in item 102, the method separates the opposing partially formed envelopes in item 104 to leave partially formed individual envelopes shown by item 106. It is also possible that the printer may only print the double envelopes and that separation, folding, stuffing, and gluing may be done offline. This is also shown in
The partially formed individual envelopes are then folded in item 108 to produce completed individual envelopes shown by item 110. As shown in
The flaps 304 are shown in their folded over position in
While dual envelope sheets 200 are discussed in the previous example, the embodiments herein can include any even number of envelopes depending upon the size of the envelope and the size of the sheet 200. For example, as shown in
As shown in
A folding device (folder 708) folds the partially formed individual envelopes to produce the completed individual envelopes. The folder device 708 folds the panel 304 of the partially formed individual envelopes toward the center of the partially formed individual envelopes to put the envelopes in final form (completed individual envelopes).
A roller nip based sheet feeding system 710 provides a sheet path between the media supply 702, the printing device 704, the separator 706, and the folder 708. Again, the sheet feeding system 710 has nip spacing larger than the size (height) of the individual envelopes. For example, the height of one of the individual envelopes 302 is shown by the height measure H shown in
In addition, the printing engine 704 can include some form of processor 712 (central processing unit (CPU)) or other computerized device that can include a computer storage medium. Computerized devices that include chip-based central processing units (CPU's), input/output devices (including graphic user interfaces (GUI), memories, comparators, processors, etc. are well-known and readily available devices produced by manufacturers such as International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk N.Y., USA and Apple Computer Co., Cupertino Calif., USA. Such computerized devices commonly include input/output devices, power supplies, processors, electronic storage memories, wiring, etc., the details of which are omitted herefrom to allow the reader to focus on the salient aspects of the embodiments described herein. One feature of embodiments herein is that the processor 712 can automatically orient the printing as shown in
Therefore, as shown above, the present embodiments provide a system and method that, in one example, utilizes a sheet that has a “double envelope” which is intended to be die cut and folded to produce pairs of individual envelopes (each having the same dimensions as a standard #10 envelope). With embodiments herein, the two envelopes are joined together along the top edge of the envelope flap. Before being separated from one another, the pairs of envelopes are mirror images of each other. Therefore, the printing process prints addresses and/or other information in a proper orientation for each individual envelope (that are upside down with respect to one another) since the envelopes face opposite each other. After printing, the envelopes are separated (die cut) to leave two separate envelopes.
Thus, the embodiments herein can, for example, provide an approximately 11″ long double envelope sheet which is easily fed, transported, and stacked in a standard production paper path. The width of the envelope is the same as a standard #10 envelope at 9.5″. Therefore, the embodiments herein can be used in machines that have paper trays, nip spacing, stacking trays, etc. that are currently designed to accommodate common paper sizes, such as A3; A4; 8½×11; 8½×14; etc.
The word “printer” or “image output terminal” as used herein encompasses any apparatus, such as a digital copier, bookmaking machine, facsimile machine, multi-function machine, etc. which performs a print outputting function for any purpose. The details of printers, printing engines, etc. are well-known by those ordinarily skilled in the art and are discussed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,004, the complete disclosure of which is fully incorporated herein by reference. The embodiments herein can encompass embodiments that print in color, monochrome, or handle color or monochrome image data. All foregoing embodiments are specifically applicable to electrostatographic and/or xerographic machines and/or processes.
It will be appreciated that the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims. The claims can encompass embodiments in hardware, software, and/or a combination thereof. Unless specifically defined in a specific claim itself, steps or components of the invention should not be implied or imported from any above example as limitations to any particular order, number, position, size, shape, angle, color, or material.