Abstract: A system for printing markings along the top and bottom of mailpieces, using a print head in a fixed position. The print head receives print instructions either from a print module or an inverted print module and prints one or more first markings onto the mailpiece, the mailpiece being in a first orientation. The mailpiece is rotated so that it is in a second orientation, which is approximately 180 degrees from the first orientation. The print head prints on the mailpiece one or more second markings that are oriented 180 degrees with respect to the orientation of the one or more first markings printed onto the mailpiece. The one or more second markings shares the same upright orientation as the one or more first markings when printed onto the mailpiece and when subsequently read.

Abstract: A method and system for correcting the skew in mail-related items, which are caused to move by a driving mechanism in the mailing machine. The driving mechanism comprises at least two driving belts to drive the mail-related items by friction. A plurality of openings are provided on the driving belts so that air pressure can be applied to the mail-related items in order to change the friction between different driving belts and the mail-related items. The air pressure can be positive or negative and it can be applied on the left or right side, or on both sides but with different pressures.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for troubleshooting a plurality of photosensors in a machine, such as a mail sorter and mail inserter. The troubleshooting procedure is carried out by a software program. As each photosensor comprises a photo-detector and an associated light emitter for illuminating the photo-detector, the test is based on the output voltage of the photo-detector in response to a current value on the light emitter. Based on the two or more current values set to the light emitter and the corresponding measured output voltage values, the software program determines whether the photosensor is functional. If the photosensor is not functional, possible causes and suggested remedies are provided to the operator of the machine.

Abstract: A transporting system and method for use in a high velocity document processing system using lower velocity print technology. The invention including an upstream transport conveying spaced apart documents at a first transport velocity. A deceleration transport decelerates documents from the high speed to a lower print velocity before passing the documents a print transport. A sensor located at the deceleration transport, detects the presence of documents at the deceleration transport, and triggers the deceleration profile to be performed on the document. The deceleration transport is controlled such that a leading portion of a document that is being decelerated overtakes a trailing portion of a downstream document that already traveling at the lower print velocity in the control of the print transport. An overlapping arrangement urges the lead portion of the upstream document to overlap on top of the trailing portion of the downstream document when the upstream document overtakes the downstream document.

Abstract: A method and system are disclosed for delivering and feeding a stack of paper to a high-speed sheet feeder. A sheet handling cart is removably connectable to a docking station attached to the high-speed sheet feeder. The sheet handling cart comprises a paper trough which is liftable from the rest of the cart. The paper trough has a trough bottom which longitudinally forms an elongated opening narrower than the bottom of the paper trough, the elongated opening being dimensioned to accommodate a conveyor belt that will protrude upward through the rectangular opening, after the paper trough is lifted from the rest of the cart, in order to advance the stack of paper toward the high-speed sheet feeder.

Abstract: An inserter input system including a web feeder providing a web of printed material to be split by a web slitting knife along the web's direction of travel. The split web is then cut transverse to the direction of travel by a rotary cutter operating at a first velocity, resulting in side-by-side individual sheets. Downstream of the rotary cutter, a right angle turn mechanism receives each of the side-by-side sheets and reorients them by ninety degrees. Further the right angle turn reorients the sheets into a serial shingled arrangement. A high speed separation nip pulls individual shingled sheets out from the shingled arrangement. The speed of the separation nip is such that a predetermined gap between the previously shingled sheets is formed.

Abstract: A mailpiece sorter system including a mailpiece feeding assembly operative to selectively feed mailpieces singularly or in groupings of mailpieces consisting of more than one mailpiece and a mailpiece sortation assembly operatively coupled to the mailpiece feeding assembly. The mailpiece sortation system includes a plurality mailpiece sortation bins and a diverting assembly for directing fed mailpieces into a predetermined mailpiece sortation bins. A control system is operatively coupled to the mailpiece feeding assembly to determine which mailpieces are to be singularly fed from said feeding assembly and which mailpieces are to be fed from said feeding assembly in a predetermined grouping of mailpieces.

Abstract: An on-edge stacker having a deck surface to support a vertical mail stack, which is allowed to expand from the upstream end to the downstream end. A paddle, movably mounted on a linear support member, is used to support the downstream end of the mail stack. The linear support member is positioned at a level lower than or substantially the same as the deck surface so that the mail can be swept from the deck surface from either longitudinal side of the stacker. A toggle switch is disposed near the downstream end so that when the paddle moved by the expanding stack reaches beyond a certain point, the toggle switch is triggered to indicate that the stack is full or almost full. The paddle has a wedge-shaped blade so that it can slide the stacked mailed on the deck surface without damaging the mail.

Abstract: An envelope-filling station for mail-processing systems. The station includes an enclosure feeder for transporting enclosures to an inserting arrangement pushing enclosures into envelopes in the same direction as the enclosure feeder. An envelope supply is positioned parallel to the enclosure feeding device. Envelopes are diagonally transported from the envelope supply to the inserting arrangement by an intermediate transport. A movable stop, in an active state, holds an envelope received in position for insertion of enclosures. When the movable stop is changed to an inactive state the filled envelope can be conveyed away from the envelope-filing station. The movable stop has a further intermediate stop position in which the stop is moved back, by a comparatively small distance in relation to the push-in movement, such that, under the driving frictional action of the intermediate envelope-conveying device, the filled envelope comes free of the push-in arrangement in the push-in direction.

Abstract: Generating a printstream in a computer that is preferably remote from the one or more inserter systems. Once generated, the printstream is transmitted preferably to a high speed, high volume, printer for producing the printed documents to be included in the mail pieces, such as billing statements. The printed documents are then delivered to the one or more inserter systems, which are to be used as the input sheets in the one or more inserter systems. The print stream is also provided to a workstation computer coupled to the one or more inserter systems. This workstation interpolates the printstream in order to generate a reprint database containing electronic files corresponding to each of the printed documents. Also coupled to the workstation is a local printer, which may be used to generate documents, for re-processing purposes, from data received from the reprint database.

Abstract: A printing apparatus and method to for use in a continuous high velocity mail production system, preferably for printing postal indicia. A transport path conveys a series of mail pieces at a print velocity. At least two ink jet print heads are available to perform printing operations. During normal operation, only one print head is operating at a time. To allow continuous uninterrupted operation, when a first print head is removed from service for a maintenance operation, a second print head is automatically brought into service. Adjustments to the triggering of the print cycle are made to account for the different print heads at different locations.

Abstract: The present invention is directed, in a general aspect, system including a mail sorting apparatus which generally comprises a feeder, a line scan camera, an in-line printer, a control system which may be the microprocessor based personal computer system, at least one addressee database and sort plan, a mailpiece transporter, a bin module with compartments or sort bins for receiving mailpieces. This invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by enabling a mail sorting apparatus to address sort internal mailings (business to employee mail). The foregoing is accomplished by addressing and sorting employee mailpieces in one process by using information from one or more databases of the mail sorting apparatus, including the addressee database and sort plan, and an in-line printer for printing employee and/or delivery information on the employee mailpiece. Thus, the method of the present invention provides a less costly, simplified way to prepare internal mailings.

Abstract: A system and method for dynamically adjusting expiration dates displayed on consumer products, the system and method utilizing an LCD display for displaying an expiration date and messages, sensors for monitoring environmental conditions, a clock for counting back the expiration date, and a controller for determining messages and adjustments to the displayed expiration date based on monitored environmental conditions.

Abstract: A method and device for facilitating the replacement of a worn out section of a friction roller in a friction feeder with another section. The roller is fixedly mounted on a shaft adjacent to the feeder nip. In operation, the shaft is restricted from turning by a locking mechanism. The locking mechanism comprises a locking member and a blocking surface. The shaft has an extended shaft section for slideably mounting the locking member, which has a polygonal outer circumference. When the locking member is located adjacent to the blocking surface, it is restricted from rotating. But when the locking member is slid away from the blocking surface, it can be rotated to cause the shaft to rotate, thereby moving another section of the frictional surface on the friction roller to replace the worn out section near the nip.

Abstract: A device to lift a throat of an envelope to spread open the envelope. The device comprises a suction cup mounted to a pitching arm; a hook movably mounted adjacent to the suction cup; means for lowering the pitching arm to allow the suction cup to seal with the throat with a suction force, and raising the pitching arm to allow the suction cup to lift the throat; and an actuation device for placing the hook under the throat after the throat has been lifted by the suction cup so as to mechanically maintain the lifted position of the throat. Accordingly, the method of maintaining the lifted position of a throat includes the steps of: 1) positioning the suction cup over the throat; 2) pressing the suction cup against the throat to seal with the throat; 3) raising the suction cup to lift the throat; and 4) placing the hook under the lifted throat to mechanically maintain the lifted position of the throat.

Abstract: A method and device for stacking a plurality of vertically oriented mailpieces into a stack, wherein mailpieces are sequentially received into the back end of the stack. A paddle is used to support the front end of the stack in order to prevent the top mailpieces from falling forward. A conveyor belt is used to move the mailpieces in the stack and relieve the pack pressure so as to allow new mailpieces to join the stack. Information indicative of the mailpiece thickness is provided to a movement control module so that the conveyor belt is moved according to the thickness of the mailpieces received into the stack. As such, the pressure in the stack can be properly adjusted. The thickness information can be obtained from an upstream collator, for example.

Abstract: Disclosed is an inserter station for mail processing systems, consisting of a feeder device (2) for transporting inserts, an envelope separation device for separating envelopes from a stack of envelopes, also comprising a mail transport device (6) which is located parallel to the transport track of the feeder device extending close thereto in order to take up the individual envelopes, further comprising orienting means (30,32) for positioning an envelope to be filled in a precise position in front of an insertion device (35).

Abstract: In an envelope-filling station for mail processing systems having an envelope-feeding arrangement for single, open envelopes, an intermediate envelope-conveying arrangement extending at an angle thereto in the direction of an angle stop arrangement provided for the purpose of aligning the envelope, and an envelope-advancing arrangement from which the envelopes are accepted from the angle stop arrangement, a simplification of the design, and effort needed to control the component parts is achieved when the angle stop arrangement, with the exception of a stopping straightedge that is to be provided to achieve extremely precise alignment of an envelope that is supplied at an angle, contains as a further part of the angle stop arrangement a conveying nip between the upper strand of an intermittently driven conveying belt of the envelope-advancing arrangement and a pressure-exerting roller that is pre-tensioned near the beginning of the upper strand of this conveying belt.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for an envelope that includes a first portion of material, forming a first surface, a second portion of material, forming a second surface, the second portion being connected to the first portion at selected regions and a third portion of material, connected to the first portion and adapted to contact the second portion, the third portion having a flap that is removable to provide access to an aperture. The flap is fabricated from the same material as the third portion of material. A perforation located in proximity to the flap and adapted to facilitate opening of the envelope.

Abstract: A method and device for locking and unlocking a print head assembly along a shaft in an addressing machine. The print head assembly is fixedly mounted on a locking mechanism, which comprises a cylindrical body slideably mounted on the shaft and a cam ring rotatably mounted over the cylindrical body. The cylindrical body has a slot for seating an elongated spline. When the locking mechanism is operated in a locking position, the inner circumference of the cam ring presses the spline against the shaft, preventing the cylindrical body from moving along the shaft. The cam ring has a relief on its inner circumference such that, when the cam ring is rotated to the unlocked position, the spline is partially seated in the relief, thereby reducing the pressure exerted by the spline against the shaft. As such, the position of the print head assembly can be adjusted.