Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6755411
-
Patent Number
6,755,411
-
Date Filed
Friday, October 25, 200221 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, June 29, 200420 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- Cummings; Michael J.
- Malandra, Jr.; Charles R.
- Chaclas; Angelo N.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 271 2
- 271 245
- 271 246
- 271 276
- 271 197
- 271 243
- 271 253
- 270 5806
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A module in an envelope insertion station for transporting an envelope to an enclosure material insertion location, which uses endless belts to move the envelope until it is stopped by rotatable stops. A fixedly-mounted vacuum module having vacuum ports provides a suction force to the envelope urging the trailing edge of the envelope to press against the belts and provides the normal force required to move an envelope downstream as it enters the insertion deck without slippage against the translating endless belts. Additionally, a second vacuum module having vacuum ports provides suction force urging the leading edge of the envelope to press against the belts and provides the normal force required to prohibit the leading edge of the envelope from buckling during impact with the rotatable stops. The second vacuum module is removably mounted and mechanically linked to the rotatable stops so they can be repositioned together to accommodate different-sized envelopes.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to a mail inserting system and, more particularly, to an envelope transport module to be used in the envelope insertion station in the mail inserting system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In a typical mail inserting system, a plurality of enclosure feeders are used to release enclosure documents onto a chassis or deck. The released documents are collated into stacks and pushed from an upstream direction to a downstream direction into an envelope inserting station where each stack of the collated documents is inserted into an envelope. Mail inserting systems are known in the art. For example, Roetter et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,169,341) discloses a mail inserting system consisting of a document collating section and an envelope insertion section, wherein a plurality of document feeders are used to release documents onto a continuous conveying mechanism that collects and collates the documents and then conveys the collated documents to the envelope insertion section in a continuous manner. Auerbach et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,660,030) discloses a high speed envelope inserting station wherein a plurality of depressor fingers are used for applying pressure to the envelope flap during the insertion of the enclosure material. At the same time, a pair of throat openers are used to keep the throat of the envelope opened by separating the bottom side of the envelope from the upper side. Belec et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,044) discloses an envelope inserting device wherein a plurality of rotatable stops are used to register the envelope at the insertion location. The rotatable stops can be rotated away to allow a stuffed envelope to move downstream. Before the envelope is stuffed, it is moved into the insertion location by a plurality of endless belts. After being stuffed, the envelope is moved away from the insertion station by the same belts. Furthermore, a rotatable vacuum drum and a fixed vacuum deck are used to provide a vacuum suction force to the envelope for urging the envelope to press against the endless belts.
In general, a mail inserting system
1
, as shown in
FIG. 1
, comprises an envelope supply module
10
, an envelope insertion station
20
and an enclosure material supply module
30
. In the envelope supply module
10
, an envelope feeder (not shown) is used to retrieve one envelope
12
at a time from a stack
13
and release the retrieved envelope to the envelope insertion station. The envelope
12
, after being fed from below a transport module
50
through an exit path
22
, is moved to an insertion location defined by a plurality of rotatable stops
82
. The flap of the envelope
12
stays opened as the enclosure material
32
is moved from the enclosure supply module
30
into the envelope insertion station
20
to be inserted into the envelope
12
. After the insertion, the rotatable stops
82
are rotated away so that the stuffed envelope
42
can be moved out of the envelope insertion station
20
.
In Belec et al., the vacuum ports on the vacuum deck are distributed over a large area so that the vacuum suction force can be applied to a large envelope as well as a small envelope. On the one hand, when a small envelope is positioned at the insertion location, a considerable part of the vacuum suction force is wasted because the envelope only covers a small number of vacuum ports. On the other hand, when a large envelope is used, it covers a large number of vacuum ports. Consequently, the suction force exerting on the large envelope may be too large, rendering the moving of the envelope from the upstream end to the insertion location difficult.
FIGS. 2
to
5
are schematic representations of a prior art transport module
50
, wherein a plurality of endless belts
58
, driven by rollers
54
,
56
, are used to move an envelope from the upstream end to the downstream end along a direction
250
. There is a gap
60
between a plurality of adjacent endless belts
58
, running along the belts from the upstream end to the downstream end. A registration mechanism
80
having a plurality of rotatable stops
82
is used to stop the envelope at an insertion location
240
so that enclosure material can be inserted into the envelope. Each of the rotatable stops
82
protrudes above the surface of the endless belts
58
through the gap
60
into the moving path of the incoming envelope. As shown in
FIG. 3
, when the rotatable stops
82
are oriented at an upright position, the edge
84
of each rotatable stop
82
provides a registration point to the envelope to be inserted with enclosure material. After the envelope is inserted with enclosure material, the rotatable stops will be rotated in a clockwise direction by 90 degrees so as to allow the stuffed envelope to move out of the insertion location along the moving direction
250
. As shown in
FIG. 4
, the envelope
12
has a leading edge
14
, a trailing edge
16
and a flap
18
at the trailing edge. The leading edge
14
of the envelope
12
is stopped by the rotatable stops
82
. In order to hold down the envelope
12
for insertion, a vacuum module
70
is used to provide a suction force on the envelope
12
. As shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
, the vacuum module
70
comprises a plurality of vacuum ports
72
along the gaps
60
. The vacuum module
70
has two air outlets
74
from which the air in the vacuum module
70
is drawn in order to create a negative pressure in the vacuum module
70
. When the vacuum ports
72
are covered by the envelope
12
, the covered vacuum ports
72
provide a vacuum suction force
272
through the gaps
60
for urging the envelope
12
to press against the endless belts
58
. In addition to holding down the envelope
12
during the envelope insertion process, the suction force
272
provided by the vacuum ports
72
is also necessary for the movement of the envelope
12
to the insertion location
240
. It should be noted that that after an envelope is released by the envelope supply module
10
through the exit path
22
(FIG.
1
), the transport module
50
must pick up the envelope
12
and move it toward the downstream end. As the suction force
272
exerted through the vacuum ports
72
causes the envelope
12
to press against the surface of the endless belts
58
, frictional force between the envelope
12
and the surface of the endless belts
58
is developed, and this frictional force renders it possible for the endless belts
58
to carry the envelope
12
along the moving direction
250
until the leading edge
14
of the envelope
12
registers with the edge
84
of the rotatable stops
82
(see FIG.
3
).
The envelope must be positioned at the insertion location in order to receive the enclosure material for insertion. To accommodate envelopes of different sizes, the position of the registration mechanism
80
must be adjustable so that the rotatable stops
82
can be moved toward the upstream end or toward the downstream end according to the size of the envelope. For registration purposes, the size of the envelope
12
is defined by the leading edge
14
and the trailing edge
16
of the envelope. To register a large envelope
12
′, as shown in
FIG. 5
, the registration mechanism
80
is moved closer to the downstream end. A large envelope
12
′ covers a large number of vacuum ports
72
. While this coverage reduces the waste of the vacuum suction, it may create excessive frictional force between the envelope
12
and the surface of the endless belts
58
hindering the movement of the envelope
12
′. In order to avoid this excessive frictional force problem, one could reduce the negative pressure in the vacuum module
70
. However, the reduction of negative pressure may result in insufficient frictional force for a small envelope.
Thus, it is desirable and advantageous to provide a transport module wherein the vacuum suction force is more properly provided to the envelope at the insertion location, while the transport module can accommodate a wide range of envelope sizes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a primary objective of the present invention to provide a transport module which is capable of providing a substantially equal vacuum suction force to envelopes of different sizes when the envelope is positioned at the insertion location. This objective can be achieved by disposing at least two vacuum modules in the transport module in order to provide the vacuum suction force to the envelope at the insertion location. One of the vacuum modules can be repositioned according to the size of the envelope.
Thus, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an envelope transport module to be used in an envelope insertion station of a mail inserting machine, wherein an envelope has a leading edge and a trailing edge defining a dimension of the envelope, the trailing edge having a flap which is opened for enclosure material insertion when the envelope is securely held at an insertion location in the envelope insertion station, wherein the transport module comprises:
a frame having an upstream end and a downstream end;
a transport mechanism disposed on the frame for moving the envelope from the upstream end to the insertion location, the transport mechanism having a support surface to support the envelope;
a registration mechanism to register the leading edge of the envelope as the envelope reaches the insertion location, wherein the registration mechanism is adjustably mounted on the frame so as to allow the registration mechanism to be positioned at a location between the upstream end and the downstream end in order to accommodate the dimension of the envelope; and
a vacuum suction device positioned relative to the frame between the upstream end and the downstream end so as to urge the envelope to press against the support surface, wherein
the vacuum suction device comprises a first vacuum module and a separate second vacuum module, and wherein
the first vacuum module is disposed between the upstream end and the registration mechanism near the upstream end to provide a suction force on the envelope near the trailing edge thereof, and
the second vacuum module is adjustably disposed between the first vacuum module and the registration mechanism so that the second vacuum module can be repositioned to provide a further suction force on the envelope near the leading edge thereof.
Preferably, the first vacuum module is fixedly disposed on the frame.
Preferably, the second vacuum module is mechanically linked to the registration mechanism so that the second vacuum module is relocated along with the registration mechanism, based on the dimension of the envelope.
Preferably, the transport mechanism comprises a plurality of conveyor belts moving from the upstream end to the downstream end, wherein a gap is provided between two adjacent conveyor belts, extending from the upstream end to the downstream end, and the second vacuum module has at least one vacuum port located in the gap for providing the further suction force.
Preferably, the registration mechanism comprises a plurality of rotatable stops operable
in a first position protruding over the support surface to register the leading edge of the envelope as the envelope is located at the insertion location, and
in a second position to retreat under the support surface so as to allow the envelope to move downstream after the insertion is completed.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of securing an envelope on an envelope transport module in an envelope insertion station of a mail inserting machine, wherein the envelope has a leading edge and a trailing edge defining a dimension of the envelope, the trailing edge having a flap which is opened for enclosure material insertion when the envelope is securely held at an insertion location in the envelope insertion station, wherein the transport module comprises:
a frame having an upstream end and a downstream end;
a transport mechanism disposed on the frame for moving the envelope into the envelope insertion station from the upstream end to the insertion location, the transport mechanism having a support surface to support the envelope;
a registration mechanism to register the leading edge of the envelope as the envelope reaches the insertion location, wherein the registration mechanism is adjustably mounted on the frame so as to allow the registration mechanism to be located to a location between the upstream and downstream ends in order to accommodate the dimension of the envelope; and
a vacuum suction device positioned relative to the frame between the upstream end and the downstream end for urging the envelope to press against the support surface. The method comprises the steps of:
providing at least one first vacuum port in the vacuum suction device in order to apply a suction force on the envelope near the trailing edge thereof, and
providing at least one second vacuum port in the vacuum suction device between said at least one first vacuum port and the registration mechanism, wherein said at least one second vacuum port can be repositioned in order to apply a further suction force on the envelope near the leading edge thereof.
Preferably, said at least one vacuum port is mechanically linked to the registration mechanism so as to allow said at least one vacuum port to be repositioned along with the registration mechanism based on the dimension of the envelope.
The present invention will become apparent upon reading the description taken in conjunction with
FIGS. 6
to
12
.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a schematic representation showing part of a typical mail inserting system.
FIG. 2
is a schematic representation showing a top view of a prior art transport module.
FIG. 3
is a schematic representation showing a cross sectional view of the transport module of FIG.
2
.
FIG. 4
is a schematic representation showing the prior art transport module having an envelope positioned at the insertion location.
FIG. 5
is a schematic representation showing the prior art transport module with a larger envelope positioned at the insertion location.
FIG. 6
is a schematic representation showing a top view of the transport module, according to the present invention.
FIG. 7
is a schematic representation showing a cross sectional view of the transport module of FIG.
6
.
FIG. 8
is a schematic representation showing a transport module of
FIG. 6
with an envelope positioned at the insertion location.
FIG. 9
is a schematic representation showing the transport module of
FIG. 6
with a larger envelope positioned at the insertion location.
FIG. 10
is an orthogonal view showing the side of the transport module, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11
is an orthogonal view showing the top of the transport module, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 12
is an orthogonal view showing the lid of the vacuum module, according to the present invention.
BEST MODE TO CARRY OUT THE INVENTION
FIGS. 6 and 7
are schematic representations of the transport module
150
, according to the present invention. As shown, the transport module
150
uses a plurality of endless belts
158
, driven by rollers
154
,
156
, to move an envelope from the upstream end to the downstream end along a direction
350
. There is a gap
160
between a plurality of adjacent endless belts
158
, running along the belts from the upstream end to the downstream end. A registration mechanism
180
is used to stop the envelope at an insertion location
340
where enclosure material is inserted into the envelope. Each of the rotatable stops
182
protrudes above the surface of the endless belts
158
through the gap
160
into the moving path of the incoming envelope. As shown in
FIG. 7
, when the rotatable stops
182
are oriented at an upright position, the edge
184
of each rotatable stop
182
provides a registration point to the envelope to be inserted with enclosure material. After the envelope is inserted with enclosure material, the rotatable stops will be rotated in a clockwise direction by 90 degrees so as to allow the stuffed envelope to move out of the insertion location along the moving direction
350
. As shown in
FIG. 8
, the envelope
12
has a leading edge
14
, a trailing edge
16
and a flap
18
at the trailing edge. The leading edge
14
of the envelope
12
is stopped by the rotatable stops
182
. In order to hold down the envelope
12
for insertion, two vacuum modules
170
and
190
are used to provide a suction force on the envelope
12
. As shown in
FIGS. 6 and 7
, the vacuum module
170
comprises a plurality of vacuum ports
172
along the gaps
160
. The vacuum module
170
has two air outlets
174
from which the air in the vacuum module
170
is drawn in order to create a negative pressure in the vacuum module
170
. When the vacuum ports
172
are covered by the envelope
12
, the vacuum ports
172
provide a vacuum suction force
372
through the gaps
160
for urging the envelope
12
to press against the endless belts
158
. Preferably, the vacuum module
170
is fixedly disposed near the upstream end of the transport module
150
to provide the vacuum suction force
372
near the trailing edge
16
of the envelope
12
. The vacuum module
190
is disposed between the vacuum module
170
and the registration mechanism
180
. The vacuum module
190
has a plurality of vacuum ports
192
and an air outlet
194
from which air in the vacuum module
190
is drawn in order to create a negative pressure in the vacuum module
190
. When the vacuum ports
192
are covered by the envelope
12
, they provide a further vacuum suction force
392
to the envelope
12
.
In order to accommodate envelopes of different sizes, the position of the registration mechanism
180
must be adjustable so that the rotatable stops
182
can be moved toward the upstream end or toward the downstream end according to the size of the envelope. The size of the envelope
12
is defined by its leading edge
14
and its trailing edge
16
. To register a larger envelope
12
′, as shown in
FIG. 9
, the registration mechanism
180
is moved closer to the downstream end. Preferably, the vacuum module
190
is also adjustable so that it can be moved toward the upstream end or toward the downstream end according to the size of the envelope. Preferably, the vacuum module
190
is mechanically linked to the registration mechanism
180
so that they can be repositioned together to accommodate the size of the envelope. As such, the vacuum suction force
392
is provided on the envelope
12
near the leading edge
14
of the envelope
12
. With the adjustable vacuum module
190
, the total vacuum suction force
372
,
392
provided on a smaller envelope
12
, as shown in
FIG. 8
, and on a larger envelope
12
′, as shown in
FIG. 9
, is substantially the same. Thus, the friction force between the envelope and the surface of endless belts resulted from the vacuum suction force is substantially the same, independent of the size of the envelope, within a reasonable size range.
It is understood that the transport module
150
, as shown in
FIG. 9
, has a frame
152
on which the rollers
154
,
156
and the vacuum modules
170
,
190
are mounted. The rollers
154
,
156
are driven by a movement mechanism, such as a motor (not shown). Likewise, the rotatable stops
182
are driven by a rotation mechanism (not shown) so that they can be positioned at the upright position or be rotated away from that position. The position of the registration mechanism
180
and the second vacuum module
190
can be adjusted manually or by a movement mechanism. It should be noted that the placement of the vacuum ports
172
,
192
, as shown in
FIGS. 4
to
9
, is for illustration purposes only. The number of vacuum ports
172
,
192
partly depends on the strength of the suction force required to properly hold down an envelope, and partly on the frictional force between the envelope and the surface of endless belts as created by the pressing of the envelope against the endless belts. While a weak suction force does not ensure that the envelope can be securely and properly held down at the insertion location for insertion, a strong suction force may cause the envelope to buckle in an upward direction once its lead edge becomes registered against the rotatable stops. It has been found that the fixed mounted vacuum module
170
primarily provides the normal force required to translate an envelope in the downstream direction as it enters the insertion station
20
without slippage against the endless belts
158
. It has also been found that the movable vacuum module
190
primarily provides the normal force required to prohibit the leading edge
14
of the envelope
12
from buckling during impact with the rotatable stops
182
. Secondarily, both vacuum modules
170
and
190
provide envelope stability during the insertion process and also provide the required normal force to rapidly accelerate the envelope from the insertion station
20
after insertion is complete and the stops rotate below the surface of the endless belts
158
.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in
FIGS. 10
to
12
, the fixed vacuum module
170
covers only a small surface, S
T
, of the envelope near the trailing edge thereof. In comparison, the movable vacuum module
190
can cover a much larger surface, S
L
, of the envelope near the leading edge thereof. Furthermore, the vacuum module
190
has a lid
198
removably disposed on a base
196
. As shown in
FIG. 10
, the registration mechanism
180
is fixedly attached to the base
196
of the vacuum module
190
. As shown in
FIG. 12
, the lid
198
has a plurality of protruding guides
202
for guiding the endless belts
158
and for defining the gaps
160
. The lid
198
also has a plurality of apertures
204
disposed between the protruding guides
202
. When the lid
198
is securely assembled on the base
196
, the apertures
204
serve as the vacuum ports
192
. As such, should the number or the size of vacuum ports
192
be changed to suit the characteristics of the envelope, the lid
198
can be removed and replaced by another lid.
Although the invention has been described with respect to a preferred embodiment 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 scope of this invention.
Claims
- 1. An envelope transport module to be used in an envelope insertion station of a mail inserting machine, wherein an envelope has a leading edge and a trailing edge defining a dimension of the envelope, the trailing edge having a flap which is opened for enclosure material insertion when the envelope is securely held at an insertion location in the envelope insertion station, said transport module comprising:a frame having an upstream end and a downstream end; a transport mechanism disposed on the frame for moving the envelope into the envelope insertion station from the upstream end to the insertion location, the transport mechanism having a support surface to support the envelope; a registration mechanism to register the leading edge of the envelope as the envelope reaches the insertion location, wherein the registration mechanism is adjustably mounted on the frame so as to allow the registration mechanism to be positioned at a location between the upstream end and the downstream end in order to accommodate the dimension of the envelope; and a vacuum suction device positioned relative to the frame between the upstream end and the downstream end so as to urge the envelope to press against the support surface, wherein the vacuum suction device comprises a first vacuum module and a separate second vacuum module, and wherein the first vacuum module is disposed between the upstream end and the registration mechanism near the upstream end to provide a suction force on the envelope near the trailing edge thereof, and the second vacuum module is adjustably disposed between the first vacuum module and the registration mechanism so that the second vacuum module can be repositioned to provide a further suction force on the envelope near the leading edge thereof.
- 2. The envelope transport module of claim 1, wherein the second vacuum module is mechanically linked to the registration mechanism so as to allow the second vacuum module to be relocated along with the registration mechanism, based on the dimension of the envelope.
- 3. The envelope transport module of claim 1, wherein the transport mechanism comprises a plurality of conveyor belts moving from the upstream end to the downstream end, and at least two adjacent ones of said conveyor belts have a gap extending from the upstream end to the downstream end, and wherein the second vacuum module has at least one vacuum port located in the gap for providing the further suction force.
- 4. The envelope transport module of claim 1, whereinthe transport mechanism comprises a plurality of conveyor belts moving from the upstream end to the downstream end, and any two adjacent ones of said conveyor belts have a gap extending from the upstream end to the downstream end, and wherein the second vacuum module has at least one vacuum port located in the gap for providing the further suction force.
- 5. The envelope transport module of claim 1, wherein the registration mechanism comprises a rotatable stop operablein a first position protruding over the support surface to register the leading edge of the envelope as the envelope is located at the insertion location, and in a second position to retreat under the support surface so as to allow the envelope to move downstream after the insertion is completed.
- 6. A method of securing an envelope on an envelope transport module in an envelope insertion station of a mail inserting machine, wherein the envelope has a leading edge and a trailing edge defining a dimension of the envelope, the trailing edge having a flap which is opened for enclosure material insertion when the envelope is securely held at an insertion location in the envelope insertion station, and wherein the transport module comprises:a frame having an upstream end and a downstream end; a transport mechanism disposed on the frame for moving the envelope into the envelope insertion station from the upstream end to the insertion location, the transport mechanism having a support surface to support the envelope; a registration mechanism to register the leading edge of the envelope as the envelope reaches the insertion location; wherein the registration mechanism is adjustably mounted on the frame so as to allow the registration mechanism to be located to a location between the upstream and downstream ends in order to accommodate the dimension of the envelope; and a vacuum suction device positioned relative to the frame between the upstream end and the downstream end so as to urge the envelope to press against the support surface, said method comprising the steps of: providing at least one first vacuum port in the vacuum suction device in order to apply a suction force on the envelope near the trailing edge thereof, and providing at least one second vacuum port in the vacuum suction device between said at least one first vacuum port and the registration mechanism, wherein said at least one second vacuum port can be repositioned in order to apply a further suction force on the envelope near the leading edge thereof.
- 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step ofproviding a mechanical linkage between said at least one second vacuum port and the registration mechanism so as to allow said at least one second vacuum port to be repositioned along with the registration mechanism based on the dimension of the envelope.
US Referenced Citations (9)