Abstract: An integrated remote control and integrated scanner (20) for use with a mail inserter (10), including a user interface and device logic module (20b), a transceiver (20a) for wirelessly communicating with the mail inserter (10), and an (embedded) scanner (20c), all provided as a single hand-held device (20). An operator can use the device (20) to send remote control commands to the mail inserter (10) and also operate the included scanner (20c) (used, e.g., for obtaining scan codes of mail pieces so that the operator can indicate to the mail inserter (10) whether to recreate the mailpiece).

Abstract: An improved method for cleansing a plurality of address records in an address record file. The method checks an address record for an associated cleansing date. The method determines whether the associated cleansing date has expired. If the address record has no cleansing date, or if the cleansing date is expired, then an address cleansing routine is applied to the address record. Also, a new cleansing date is added to the address record based on a current date. If the cleansing date for the address record has not expired, then the cleansing routine is omitted, adding the record to the USPS statistics, and processing of the list continues. An address cleansing report is generated indicating a number of address records that were cleansed. In the preferred embodiment, the step of adding the new cleansing date to the address record includes a step of securing the cleansing date from unauthorized changes or tampering.

Abstract: An enclosure is formed from a single sheet of paper, which is of a standard size. The sheet of paper is folded along the short edges and then folded along a mid-section. Content material may be placed on the sheet of paper or printed information can be printed on desired surfaces of the paper. The paper may also be folded so that a fold-over flap is formed. The edges are attached through a sealing mechanism such as knurling, gluing, embossing or crimping, tabbing, stapling.

Abstract: A method for processing mail pieces having information thereon includes scanning the mail piece information and storing scanned mail piece information. Stored information is accessed when a scanned mail piece information is incomplete to obtain previously stored complete mail piece information. The previously stored complete mail piece information is employed in processing the mail piece with the incomplete information. The information may be a code or text that is scanned and stored during the processing of the mail. Fragmentary information from various sources on the scanned mail piece may be combined to access a previously stored mail piece record. The accessed information may be displayed.

Abstract: A method for creating mailpieces from a single web of printed material. The web of printed material includes a continuous web having a width and a length, the length comprised of a series of attached sheets. The series of attached sheets is comprised of envelope sheets and content pages. The content pages are rectangular in shape and may be oriented relative to the envelope sheets in a number of different configurations. In some configurations, two sets of content pages and/or envelope sheets can be printed across the width of the web. The method starts with cutting consecutive attached sheets into separated sheets. The content pages belonging to a same mailpiece are accumulated together. The separated envelope sheet is transported, bypassing the accumulating and turning steps. The accumulated and turned content pages are then merged with the envelope sheet, and the envelope sheet is folded and closed around the accumulated content pages to form a finished enclosing envelope.

Abstract: A document assembly system with jam detection capability. The system including an accumulation chassis having a series of pusher fingers for pushing collations of documents. Above the chassis, document feeders release documents to the chassis to form the collations. A set of horizontal photo-sensors is positioned below the document feeder at a level substantially even with the tops of the pusher fingers on the chassis. The photo-sensors detect lead and trail edges of documents traveling in the flight path from the document feeder to the chassis. The sensors generate signals representing the lead and tail edges of documents breaking the line between the photo-sensors. A controller receives the signals from the photo-sensors and compares them to an expected profile calculated as a function the parameters of operation for the chassis and feeders. An error signal is generated when the compared signals are different from the expected profile by greater than a predetermined margin of error.

Abstract: A method for creating mailpieces from a single web of printed material. The web of printed material includes printed matter to be used on envelopes, and other printed matter to be used on mail content to be included in the envelopes. The content pages are rectangular in shape and may be oriented relative to the envelope sheets in a number of different configurations. In some configurations, two sets of content pages and/or envelope sheets can be printed across the width of the web. The method starts with cutting consecutive sections of the web into separated sheets. Some of the separated sheets are envelope sheets including envelope printed matter, and some of the sheets are mail content sheets including mail content printed matter. The method includes cutting variable sized sheets depending on whether a sheet is a mail content sheet, or an envelope sheet. The method further includes cutting variable sized envelope sheets depending on the size of the mailpieces.

Abstract: In an enclosure-collating device, in particular for mail-processing installations, a shorter dimensioning of the enclosure-conveying compartments on a collating path in the direction of the enclosure conveying on said collating path is achieved in that enclosures are fed into the enclosure-conveying compartments obliquely with a movement component in the conveying direction of the enclosure-conveying arrangement by an oblique conveying device of a transfer device serving to feed the enclosures into the enclosure-conveying compartments.

Abstract: In the case of an envelope-turning station with a turning cylinder which is oriented parallel to the mail-conveying direction and is equipped with openable and closable jaws on its circumference, it is possible, following charging of the turning-cylinder jaws with horizontally flat items of mail and rotation of the turning cylinder through 90° and/or 270°, for a mail removal arrangement to remove items of mail in the mail-conveying direction, in a state in which they are standing on one of their longitudinal edges, and to feed them to further processing or handling stations of a mail-processing installation.

Abstract: A simplification of the drive for an inserting station for envelope-filling machines is achieved by a carrier on which inserting fingers for inserting material for envelopes into opened envelopes held ready next to a base plate are articulated having the form of a carriage which is horizontally displaceable, transversely in relation to the conveying direction of an enclosure-collating path charging the base plate with enclosures or sets of enclosures, on pushing-guiding paths freely spanning the base plate, the carriage being coupled by means of a link connected to it in an articulated manner to a rocking lever, which is fastened on a rocking shaft which is mounted on the machine frame at a specific distance above the base plate and the carriage, is parallel to the conveying direction of the enclosure-collating path and forms in particular part of a rocking drive shaft, on which the gripping arms of the enclosure and discharge stations lined up along the enclosure-collating path are fastened.

Abstract: In a mailing machine where an envelope feeder is used to feed envelopes one at a time into a mail inserter and an insert feeder is used to move insert material into the envelope in the mail inserter for mail insertion, a suction cup assembly having two suction cups is used to keep the throat of the envelope in the mail inserter open. Each suction cup is movably mounted on an air actuated holder so as to allow the suction cup to move up and down to open the envelope throat. The suction cup assembly is movably mounted on a mounting stand in the mail feeder at a pivot so that the suction assembly can be rotated at the pivot so as to deflect the suction cups further away from the insert feeder if a jam involving the insert material or the envelope occurs.

Abstract: A barcode scanning apparatus and method for reading barcodes on serially fed sheets having barcodes in a consistent location. A transport moves the barcode bearing sheets as they pass below at least two fixed barcode scanners. Both of a first and second barcode scanners scan the barcodes and transmit corresponding signals to an apparatus controller. Preferably the at least two barcode scanners are in series, one closely located immediately downstream of the other. The controller receives the signals from the first and second barcode scanners, and interprets them accordance with a predetermined algorithm. The predetermined algorithm is a function of both the first and second barcode signals and is selectable to provide different levels of reliability checking.

Abstract: In an envelope-filling machine, a clear and simplified construction of the drive system is achieved for the enclosure-collating path, for the enclosure-feeding stations and for the parts of the envelope-filling station, in that a drive motor and a step-down gear mechanism, a bevel gear mechanism and a step-by-step motion linkage are arranged in a row along a main shaft which extends in the longitudinal direction of the machine and is arranged so as to be offset out of the region below the enclosure cassettes of the enclosure-feeding station, and the main shaft is guided through the step-down gear mechanism and the bevel gear mechanism as far as a coupling point for a crank mechanism in order to actuate a pivoting shaft which is common to the gripper arms of the enclosure-feeding stations.

Abstract: The trailing ends of envelopes stacked vertically in a hopper are tapped by jostling members that oscillate in a horizontal plane. The tapping action breaks frictional bonds between contiguous items. The jostling members are mounted on a base plate that is adjustably mounted in overlying relation to a floor plate of the hopper to accommodate items of varying widths. A cam and cam follower arrangement causes oscillation of the floor plate and hence of the base plate and the jostling members. The jostling members may take the form of acute or right angle members, wheels, or the like.

Abstract: In a web cutter where a blade is used to cut a continuous paper web into sheets, a tractor is used to move the web past the blade for cutting. The tractor operates in a start-and-stop cycle so that the web is temporarily stopped to allow the blade to lower and shear the web. The tractor accelerates in the next cycle to move another length of paper downstream from the blade. A high-speed cutter requires high acceleration of the tractor. This acceleration force causes the web to whip up uncontrollably, causing the web to break or wrinkle. To reduce the web breakage, a moving mechanism positioned upstream from the tractor and operate a second motion cycle is used to move the web toward the tractor such that a loop of paper is formed upstream of the tractor, thereby reducing the whipping action of the web.

Abstract: A method for using bar code data parsed from a legacy printstream to facilitate electronic processing and electronic document presentment, whereby match code data, page number data, page count data are extracted from bar code data of legacy printstreams to determine what corresponding mail piece data set extracted data belongs to, and alternatively consulting a separate mail run data file as identified in the bar code data in order to find mail piece information to be used in identifying what page data belongs to what mail piece. Integrity and classification of collected data are thereby enhanced by consulting mail piece assembly data and page information included in legacy printstream bar code information.

Abstract: An improved sheet accumulator for stacking serially fed sheets transported on a paper path. The accumulator includes a guide deck. Above the guide deck, a plurality of parallel belts are positioned to provide a driving force for sheets on the deck. Within the accumulator, a ramp apparatus is positioned across the paper path whereby sheets driven by the belts on an upstream portion of the accumulator deck are driven over the ramp apparatus and deposited in an accumulating region of the accumulator deck on a downstream side of the ramp apparatus. Preferably, snap-down belts are provided between ramp structures snap transported sheets quickly into place on the stack and to hold them there. Sheets are stopped by an accumulator stop mechanism located at a downstream end of the accumulating region that prevents movement of sheets by the belts while sheets for an accumulation are being collected.

Abstract: A sheet feeder includes a bin into which items are stacked. The items are sequentially removed from the bottom of the stack as the sheet feeder operates. The items travel a longitudinal path of travel to a separator wheel that staggers the items as they exit the sheet feeder. A rocker plate at the bottom of the bin oscillates to jostle the items. The jostling breaks the bonds of friction between contiguous items so that the items are not bound to one another as they engage the separator wheel. A drive shaft transverse to the path of item travel rotates as the sheet feeder operates and carries a cam that rotates conjointly with the drive shaft and causes oscillation of a cam follower. The cam follower oscillates a transversely disposed bar about a transverse axis and the rocker plate is mounted to that bar.

Abstract: A system and a method to control the motion of envelopes within a postage printing module to accommodate the use of slower print techniques and to achieve high throughput in a mail processing system. Envelopes transported in a mail processing system are diverted into two or more parallel print paths. At the parallel postage printing modules envelopes are processed according to a motion profile in which the envelope is decelerated from a transport velocity to a slower printing velocity. After the printing operation has been completed, the envelope is accelerated back to the transport velocity and transferred to a downstream module, where the parallel print paths are merged back into a single print path. The print head is preferably geared to operate in synchronism with the print transport.

Abstract: The invention pertains to a mailpiece weight measuring apparatus for use with a high speed automatic mailpiece processing system. The weight measuring apparatus measures the inertial mass of the mailpiece as the weight equivalent. The apparatus includes a device for determining a first velocity of a mailpiece, a device for imparting a force to the mailpiece in a direction co-linear with the first velocity so that the mailpiece exits said force impacting device at a second velocity, a device for determining the second velocity of the mailpiece, a device for determining a change in a parameter proportional to the force imparted on the mailpiece, and a device for determining the weight of the mailpiece based upon the determined first velocity, second velocity and change in the parameter.