Patent Application
20110074100
The instant disclosure relates to document jogger systems.
A document jogger system is a document-handling machine that is used to mechanically line up the edges of a stack of documents, such as paper or envelopes, in order to make document handling tasks easier to perform. A typical document jogger system includes a housing in which electrical, mechanical and electromechanical components are housed and a pocket configured to receive documents to be jogged. The documents to be jogged are placed in the pocket and power is provided to the jogger system to cause the pocket to vibrate at a high rate of speed. As the pocket vibrates, edges of the documents are aligned against edges formed in the pocket until the edges of the documents are aligned.
Although document jogger systems vary in design, a typical document jogger system comprises a housing that includes a magnet positioned near a metal plate, a set of springs mechanically coupled to the housing and to the metal plate, and electrical circuitry. To activate the document jogger system, alternating current (AC) power is provided to the electrical circuitry of the document jogger system. The corresponding AC electrical current causes the poles of the magnet to switch polarity at the frequency of the AC current. As the polarity of the magnet switches, the metal plate coupled to the set of springs oscillates back and forth at the same frequency. The oscillation of the metal plate exerts forces on the housing that are translated through the housing to the pocket to cause the pocket to vibrate. The vibration of the pocket causes the documents in the pocket to be jogged. This jogging of the documents ultimately results in the documents becoming aligned in the pocket. Another example of a known type of document jogger system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,159. The document jogger system disclosed in this patent uses a direct current (DC) vibration system comprising an unbalanced weight disposed on the end of a rotating shaft to create the necessary vibrations.
With current document jogger system designs, a first operation is performed by human operator during which documents to be jogged are placed in the pocket of the document jogger system, and then a second operation is performed during which the operator activates the system to cause the pocket to vibrate in the aforementioned manner. Typically, the operator activates the system by depressing a start button or turning a timer dial. The document jogger system is typically deactivated either by the operator depressing a stop button, turning the timer dial to the off position, or depressing the start button a second time to toggle it. Some document jogger systems have analog or digital timer circuitry that sets a timer to a predetermined time period when the system is activated. In such systems, expiration of the predetermined timer causes the system to automatically deactivate itself to terminate the jogging operation.
One disadvantage of current document jogger systems of the type described above is that the second operation that is performed by an operator to activate the document jogger system reduces overall “wall-clock” throughput. One reason for the reduced throughput is that some amount of time is consumed between the instant in time when the first operation is performed to place the documents in the pocket and the instant in time when the second operation is performed to activate the document jogger system. In time-critical environments in which these operations are performed many times in any given work day, this amount of time is multiplied by the total number of jogger operations being performed. Consequently, the reduction in throughput can be very significant and costly.
Another disadvantage of current document jogger systems of the type described above is that there is generally no way for an operator to know when a jogging operation has successfully completed. In document jogger systems that are configured to automatically terminate the jogging operation at the expiration of the aforementioned predetermined time period, the operator typically determines whether a jogging operation has completed by listening to hear whether the document jogger has been deactivated. In such cases, the operator typically removes the documents from the pocket when he or she no longer hears the document jogger system performing the jogging operation. One of the problems of using this technique is that document processing environments are generally very noisy environments due to multiple jogging operations and other document processing tasks being performed at the same time. Therefore, it is often difficult for an operator to determine through listening whether a particular document jogger system has completed and jogging operation and has deactivated itself. As a result, an operator may accidentally remove documents from the pocket of a document jogger system before the jogging operation has successfully completed, which can result in the documents not being precisely aligned with one another. This type of human error can lead to documents having to be re-jogged and other document processing difficulties, which can also reduce overall throughput and increase costs.
Accordingly, a need exists for a document jogger system and method that provides increased document jogging throughput. A need also exists for a document jogger system that enables an operator to easily determine when a document jogger system is or is not currently performing a jogging operation.
The instant disclosure provides a method and an apparatus for use in a document jogger system for activating and deactivating the document jogger system based on determinations as to whether or not documents are currently located in a pocket of the document jogger system. The apparatus comprises a document detector, a controller and a jogger actuator circuit. The document detector is configured to detect whether or not documents are currently located in the pocket of the document jogger system and to output a document detection signal indicative of whether or not documents are currently located in the pocket. The controller is configured to receive the document detection signal output by the document detector and to perform a document detection algorithm that analyses the document detection signal and determines whether or not documents are currently present in or absent from the pocket. If the controller determines that documents are currently located in the pocket, the controller produces a jogger activation signal. The jogger actuator circuit is configured to cause a jogger actuator of the document jogger system to be activated if the jogger actuator circuit receives the jogger activation signal produced by the controller. Activation of the jogger actuator causes a jogging operation to be performed during which document currently located in the pocket are vibrated.
The method comprises the following. In a document detector of a document jogger system, detecting whether or not documents are currently located in the pocket of the document jogger system and outputting a document detection signal indicative of whether or not documents are currently located in the pocket. In a controller of the document jogger system, receiving the document detection signal output by the document detector and performing a document detection algorithm that analyses the document detection signal and determines whether or not documents are currently present in or absent from the pocket. If the controller determines that documents are currently located in the pocket, the controller produces a jogger activation signal. In a jogger actuator circuit of the document jogger system, a jogger actuator of the document jogger system is activated if the jogger actuator circuit receives the jogger activation signal produced by the controller. Activation of the jogger actuator causes a jogging operation to be performed during which document currently located in the pocket are vibrated.
The instant disclosure is also directed to a computer program for use in a document jogger system for activating and deactivating the document jogger system based on determinations as to whether or not documents are currently located in a pocket of the document jogger system. The program is stored on a computer-readable medium and includes at least first, second and third sets of instructions. The first set of instructions receives a document detection signal indicative of whether or not documents are currently located in a pocket of the document jogger system. The second set of instructions analyzes the document detection signal to determine whether or not documents are currently present in or absent from the pocket. The third set of instructions causes a jogger actuator of the document jogger system to be activated if the second set of instructions determines that documents are currently present in the pocket.
These and other features and advantages will become apparent from the following description, drawings and claims.
In accordance with an embodiment, a document jogger system is provided that includes a document detection apparatus that detects the presence and absence of documents in the pocket of the document jogger system and that automatically activates and deactivates the document jogger system when documents are present and absent, respectively. Detecting the presence and absence of documents in the pocket and automatically activating and deactivating, respectively, the document jogger system based on the detected conditions, allows an increase in overall “wall-clock” throughput and a reduction in operator intervention to be realized. The increased throughput and the reduced operator intervention improve the overall quality of document processing and allow overall document processing costs to be reduced. In accordance with another embodiment, the document jogger system includes one or more visual indicators and associated electrical circuitry for providing a visual indication of the status of the document jogger system. The visual status indication is an indication of one or more of the following conditions: (1) the document jogger system is currently performing a jogging operation, (2) electrical power currently is currently being provided to the document jogger system, and (3) documents currently located in the pocket of the document jogger system have successfully been jogged and are ready to be removed from the pocket.
The apparatus 1 operates as follows. The controller 10 sends a control signal to the document detector 20 to activate the document detector 20. The nature of the control signal will depend on the type and configuration of the document detector 20. As will be described in more detail below with reference to
When the controller 10 sends the jogger actuation signal to the jogger actuation circuit 30 to cause it to begin vibrating the pocket, the controller 10 sets a timer to a predetermined time period. The controller 10 continues to monitor the detection signal output from the document detector 20. If either of the following conditions occur, the controller 10 sends a jogger control signal to the jogger actuator circuit 30 that causes the jogger actuator circuit 30 to stop vibrating the pocket: (1) the predetermined time period expires, or (2) the value of the detection signal output from the document detector 20 indicates that documents currently are not located in the pocket. The predetermined time period is selected to correspond to an amount of time that is typically required in order for a successful jogging operation to be completed. Thus, if either the timer expires or the documents are removed from the pocket, the current jogging operation will be halted.
An advantage of such an embodiment is that it obviates the need for a human operator to initiate or terminate a jogging operation. When documents are not located in the pocket of the document jogger system, the jogger actuator circuit 30 is inactive such that the pocket of the document jogger system is not being vibrated. When documents are placed in the pocket, the jogger actuator circuit 30 begins vibrating the pocket and continues vibrating the pocket until either (1) the predetermined time period expires, or (2) the value of the detection signal output from the document detector 20 indicates that documents currently are not located in the pocket. Therefore, no act is required by an operator in order to initiate a jogging operation, other than placing documents to be jogged in the pocket. Similarly, no act is required by an operator in order to terminate a jogging operation, other than removing documents from the pocket or waiting for the predetermined time period to expire. This feature saves time and resources and increases overall document processing throughput, which, in turn, reduces overall document processing costs. Another advantage of this embodiment is that it saves electrical power in that the jogger actuator circuit 30 is inactive whenever either (1) no documents are located in the pocket, or (2) whenever the predetermined time period has expired after performing a jogging operation. This feature reduces costs in terms of the amount of electrical power that is consumed by the system. In addition, maintaining the jogger actuator circuit 30 in an inactive state under these conditions reduces operational and maintenance costs associated with the system.
The process then proceeds to block 56, at which a determination is made as to whether either of the following conditions has occurred: (1) the timer has expired, or (2) the controller 10 has determined that the value of the detection signal indicates that documents are not currently located in the pocket. If the controller 10 determines that one or more of these conditions exists, then the process proceeds to block 57. At block 57, the controller 10 deactivates the jogger actuator circuit 30. The process then returns to block 53, at which the controller 10 continues to process the detection signals produced by the document detector 20 to determine when documents have been placed in the pocket.
When documents are located in the pocket 140, the documents block IR optical signals produced by the IR-emitting LED 110 and thereby prevent them from being received by the IR-sensing photodiode 120. Consequently, when documents are present in the pocket 140, the electrical signals that are produced by the IR-sensing photodiode 120 will have values that the controller 10 will interpret as corresponding to the presence of documents in the pocket 140. When documents are not located in the pocket 140, the IR signals produced by the IR-emitting LED 110 are received by the IR-sensing photodiode 120. Consequently, when documents are not currently located in the pocket 140, the electrical signals that are produced by the IR-sensing photodiode 120 will have values that the controller 10 will interpret as corresponding to the absence of documents in the pocket 140.
It should be noted that wavelengths of light other than IR wavelengths may be used for this purpose. IR wavelengths are well suited for use with this embodiment due to the fact that IR wavelengths can easily be distinguished from visible and ambient wavelengths of light and due to the fact that IR transmitters and receivers are relatively inexpensive. It should also be noted that one or more optical or electrical filters (not shown) may be incorporated into the apparatus 10 in order to filter out wavelengths ambient and visible light so that only the effects of wavelengths of light that are produced by the LED 110 are measured by the controller 10. In addition, although the LED 110 and the photodiode 120 are shown in
With reference again to
A typical sound sensor that may be used for this purpose includes a sound wave transmitter and a sound wave receiver. The sound waves that are used for this purpose will typically be outside of the audible range of the human ear. The sound wave transmitter may be positioned at a location on side 140a, for example, and the sound wave receiver may be positioned at a location on side 140b, for example, across from the sound wave transmitter. In this case, when documents are located in the pocket 140, the documents block sound waves produced by the sound wave transmitter and thereby prevent them from being received by the sound wave receiver. Consequently, when documents are present in the pocket 140, the electrical signals that are produced by the sound wave transmitter will have values that the controller 10 will interpret as corresponding to the presence of documents in the pocket 140. When documents are not located in the pocket 140, the sound waves produced by the sound wave transmitter are received by the sound wave receiver. Consequently, when documents are not currently located in the pocket 140, the electrical signals that are produced by the sound wave transmitter will have values that the controller 10 will interpret as corresponding to the absence of documents in the pocket 140.
As indicated above, the apparatus 1 (
An exemplary visual status algorithm is performed as follows. If the controller 10 activates the jogger actuator circuit 30 and sets the timer, as described above with reference to
The visual status indicator circuit 30 typically includes a multi-colored LED capable of displaying at least three different visual indications for conditions (1), (2) and (3), or three separate LEDs of different colors for separately displaying three different visual indications for conditions (1), (2), and (3). The visual indicator circuitry 30 typically also includes electrical circuitry for driving the LED or LEDs based on the visual status indication signal values output from the controller 10 to the visual status indicator circuit 30. In some embodiments, the visual status indicator signal may comprise a multi-bit signal with at least one bit describing each one of the respective status conditions (1), (2) and (3). The disclosed document jogger system, however, is not limited with respect to the type or configuration of the visual status indicator circuit 30.
From block 204, the process returns to block 201. If the controller 10 determines that electrical power is currently being provided to the apparatus 10, then the process proceeds to block 203, at which the controller 10 causes the visual status indicator circuitry 40 to display the third visual status indication. For example, at block 203, the controller 10 may assert the bit associated with the third visual status condition, whereas at block 204, the controller 10 may deassert the same bit. From blocks 203 and 204, the process returns to block 201 at which the controller 10 continues to monitor the output of block 55 in
If a determination is made at block 201 that electrical power is currently being provided to the document jogger system, then the process may proceed to block 205 contemporaneously as the process proceeding to block 203. Thus, in accordance with this illustrative embodiment, the process represented by blocks 205-207 is generally performed in parallel with the process represented by blocks 203-204. Block 205 monitors the process represented by block 55 in
If the controller 10 determines at block 205 that the jogger actuator circuit 30 is currently activated, the process proceeds to block 206 at which the controller 10 causes the visual status indicator circuitry 40 to display the first visual status indication to visually indicate that a jogging operation is currently being performed. The process then returns to block 201. If the controller 10 determines at block 205 that the jogger actuator circuit 30 is not currently activated, then the process proceeds to block 207 at which the controller 10 prevents the visual status indicator circuitry 40 from displaying the first visual status indication. For example, at block 206, the controller 10 may assert the bit associated with the first visual status condition, whereas at block 207, the controller 10 may deassert the bit associated with the first visual status condition. From block 207, the process again returns to block 201.
If a determination is made at block 205 that a jogging operation is currently being performed, then the process proceeds to block 208 contemporaneously with the process proceeding to block 206. Thus, in accordance with this illustrative embodiment, the process represented by blocks 206-207 is generally performed in parallel with the process represented by blocks 208-211. At block 208, the controller 10 monitors the process represented by block 55 in
It can be seen from the method described above with reference to
The controller 10 may be a type of computational device, such as, for example, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable logic array (PLA), a programmable gate array (PGA), or a combination of two or more of such devices. Alternatively, the controller 10 may be made up of one or more discrete analog and/or digital components, such as, for example, a combination of digital logic gates arranged to perform the operations described above with reference to
It should be noted that the disclosed apparatuses and methods have been described with reference to illustrative embodiments to demonstrate principles and concepts, and features that may be advantageous in some embodiments. The methods and apparatuses of the instant disclosure are not intended to be limited to these illustrative embodiments, as will be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art in view of the description provided herein. A variety of modifications can be made to the embodiments described herein, and all such modifications are within the scope of the instant disclosure, as will be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art.
