The present invention relates to an assembly for handling sheet material used in the creation of mailpieces, and more particularly, to a feed input assembly and method for feeding sheet material which varies in length.
Various apparatus are employed for arranging sheet material in a package suitable for use or sale in commerce. One such apparatus, useful for describing the teachings of the present invention, is a mailpiece inserter system employed in the fabrication of high volume mail communications, e.g., mass mailings. Such mailpiece inserter systems are typically used by organizations such as banks, insurance companies, and utility companies for producing a large volume of specific mail communications where the contents of each mailpiece are directed to a particular addressee. Also, other organizations, such as direct mailers, use mail inserters for producing mass mailings where the contents of each mail piece are substantially identical with respect to each addressee. Examples of inserter systems are the 8 series, 9 series, and APS™ inserter systems available from Pitney Bowes Inc. located in Stamford, Conn., USA.
In many respects, a typical inserter system resembles a manufacturing assembly line. Sheets and other raw materials (i.e., a web of paper stock, enclosures, and envelopes) enter the inserter system as inputs. Various modules or workstations in the inserter system work cooperatively to process the sheets until a finished mail piece is produced. For example, in a mailpiece inserter, an envelope is conveyed downstream utilizing a transport mechanism, such as rollers or a belt, to each of the modules. Such modules include, inter alia, (i) a web for feeding printed sheet material, i.e., material to be used as the content material for mailpiece creation, (ii) a module for cutting the printed sheet material to various lengths, (iii) a feed input assembly for accepting the printed sheet material from the cutting module, (iv) a folding module for folding mailpiece content material for subsequent insertion into the envelope, (v) a chassis module where sheet material and/or inserts, i.e., the content material, are combined to form a collation, (vi) an inserter module which opens an envelope for receipt of the content material, (vii) a moistening/sealing module for wetting the flap sealant to close the envelope, (viii) a weighing module for determining the weight of the mailpiece for postage, and (x) a metering module for printing the postage indicia based upon the weight and/or size of the envelope, i.e., applying evidence of postage on the mailpiece. While these are some of the more commonly used modules for mailpiece creation, it will be appreciated that the particular arrangement and/or need for specialty modules, are dependent upon the needs of the user/customer.
Inasmuch as a mailpiece inserter comprises a plurality of modules, it is desirable to reduce the feed path, and, hence the “foot-print” occupied by the inserter. That is, inasmuch as the real-estate occupied by a mailpiece inserter translates into cost for an operator, it is desirable to reduce the space consumed by the inserter. Each foot of feed path which can be reduced, translates into savings for the consumer.
One area where space savings is typically lost is the transition between the cutting module and the feed input assembly due to the variability in the length of content material to be processed. That is, since the length of content material can vary from a short insert, i.e., approximately four and one-half inches (4½″), to a double long sized sheet, i.e., approximately seventeen inches (17″), the feed path between the cutting module and feed input assembly may vary by more than one foot or twelve inches 12″. Stated in yet other terms, the point of entry/ingestion of the leading edge of a long sheet can lengthen the feed path of the inserter as compared to the entry point required by a short insert, e.g., the location of a nip for ingesting the leading edge of the insert.
A need, therefore, exists for a feed input assembly which accepts variable length sheets from an upstream processing module, such as a cutting module, while minimizing the feed path of a mailpiece inserter.
A feed input assembly is provided for accepting and conveying sheet material of variable length along a feed path including a processing station for performing an operation on the sheet material and an ingestion assembly adapted to capture the sheet material between the opposed friction drive surfaces and accept a leading edge of the sheet material from the processing station at a point of entry. The ingestion assembly includes transport elements having positionable opposed friction drive surfaces which are adapted to vary point of entry along the feed path. By varying the point of entry, sheet material of variable length can be accepted without varying the position of the processing station relative to the ingestion assembly. A method for operating a feed input assembly having positionable friction drive surfaces is also described.
Further details of the present invention are provided in the accompanying drawings, detailed description, and claims.
a is a perspective view of the feed input assembly in combination with a cutting assembly upstream of the feed input assembly wherein the feed input assembly accepts a short inert produced by the cutting assembly.
b is a perspective view of the feed input assembly in combination with the cutting assembly wherein the feed input assembly accepts a double length piece of sheet material from the cutting assembly.
The present invention is described in the context of a feed input assembly wherein sheet material of variable length may be accepted and processed without impacting the overall length of the sheet material feed path and the space occupied by the assembly. In
Once cut, each of the sheet materials 14a, 14b is taken away by one or more pairs of drive nips 20 and conveyed along a feed path FP. While the described embodiment shows the sheet material 14a, 14b being conveyed along two, side-by-side feed paths FP, the following discussion emphasizes the feed input assembly 10 as it pertains to a single feed path, i.e., the feed path associated with the right-hand side of the feed input assembly 10 or the path conveying sheet material 14a.
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The ingestion assembly 30 also comprises a means 40 operative to displace at least one of the upstream rolling elements 26U in a direction substantially orthogonal to the feed path FP. In the described embodiment, an upper roller 26UU of the upstream elements 26U is displaced to vary the point of entry PE for accepting the leading edge LE of the sheet material 14a. In
In the described embodiment, the displacement means 40 include an eccentric link 42 and a means for pivoting the eccentric link 42 orthogonally away from the feed path FP to displace first transport belt 22a from the second transport belt 22b. More specifically, the eccentric link 42 is pivot mounted about a first rotational axis 42A to the upstream stationary support 34U of the ingestion assembly 30 at one end thereof, and pivot mounted to the upstream rolling element 26U about a second rotational axis 26A at the other end. In the described embodiment, the pivot means includes at least two detents 46a, 46b and a spring biased pin 48 operative to engage one of the detents 46a, 46b to retain the rotational position of the eccentric link 42 and the relative position of the first and second transport belts 22a, 22b. More specifically, the detents 46a, 46b are disposed about a peripheral surface of the eccentric link 42 at two radial positions R1, R2 relative to the first rotational axis 42A. When the eccentric link 42 is at the first radial position R1 as depicted in
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In summary, the feed input assembly of the present invention accepts variable length sheets from an upstream processing module, such as a cutting module, while minimizing the feed path of a mailpiece inserter. The feed input assembly includes a reconfigurable ingestion assembly 30 which accommodates both short and large sheet material while maintaining a constant spatial envelope.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not to be considered as limited to the specific embodiments described above and shown in the accompanying drawings. The illustrations merely show the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention, and which is susceptible to such changes as may be obvious to one skilled in the art. The invention is intended to cover all such variations, modifications and equivalents thereof as may be deemed to be within the scope of the claims appended hereto.