Abstract: A franking machine has an ink jet printing device with exchangeable ink cartridges. The lower housing shell of a security housing of the franking machine has a sealable, shaft-shaped opening in the base and is designed to accommodate assemblies that can be contaminated with ink. These assemblies are situated in a non-secure region of the franking machine and are accessible via the aforementioned opening when a cover of the shaft-shaped opening is opened. A servicing procedure allows the franking machine to be retrofitted to print with a different ink color. After moving the print carriage in one direction and opening a cartridge flap, the ink cartridges can be removed. A displacement of the print carriage takes place after closing the cartridge flap, wherein the print carriage is moved in the opposite direction so that the print carriage arrives in the sealing position for ink cartridges. A box-shaped mod can now be removed from the franking machine.

Abstract: A printing apparatus has a cartridge carrier and with a locking-and-ejection mechanism. The cartridge carrier has a cavity for insertion of an ink cartridge, and the locking-and-ejection mechanism is arranged on an outside of a side part of a cartridge carrier. This locking-and-ejection mechanism has a locking mechanism with a locking lever biased by a spring force produced by a first spring. The locking lever can be tilted around a rotation axis situated on the outside of the side part. The locking-and-ejection mechanism also has an ejection mechanism with a lifting plate biased by a spring force produced at least by a second spring. The lifting plate is rotatable on the outside of the side part, and the rotation axis of the lifting plate is stationary on the outside of the side part. The locking lever has a first locking mechanism and a second locking mechanism to the lock the first locking mechanism, and an actuator is operable to unlock the locking of the second locking mechanism.

Abstract: A printing apparatus has an ink printing device onto which a flat item being transported om the x-direction for printing thereon is pressed by a contact pressure device, wherein the base of the contact pressure device has a contact pressure body floor plate biased by a spring force. A notch at the edge of the contact pressure body floor plate extends further in the contact pressure body in the z-direction, up to the ink printing device. An additional contact pressure device for strip-shaped printing substrates has a contact pressure element designed so as to be movable separate from the contact pressure body, and biased with a spring force of an additional spring or resiliently elastic element. The contact pressure element is arranged so as to be movable in the notch. A sensor for print triggering is arranged at a front wall of a lower housing shell of the printing apparatus and has a sensor region that is adjacent to the separate contact pressure element in the insertion direction y of a box-shaped module.

Abstract: A printing apparatus has an ink printing device onto which a flat item being transported om the x-direction for printing thereon is pressed by a contact pressure device, wherein the base of the contact pressure device has a contact pressure body floor plate biased by a spring force. A notch at the edge of the contact pressure body floor plate extends further in the contact pressure body in the z-direction, up to the ink printing device. An additional contact pressure device for strip-shaped printing substrates has a contact pressure element designed so as to be movable separate from the contact pressure body, and biased with a spring force of an additional spring or resiliently elastic element. The contact pressure element is arranged so as to be movable in the notch. A sensor for print triggering is arranged at a front wall of a lower housing shell of the printing apparatus and has a sensor region that is adjacent to the separate contact pressure element in the insertion direction y of a box-shaped module.

Abstract: A printer apparatus has a contact pressure device for flat articles on a continuously moving transport belt, in particular letters in a franking and/or addressing machine. In order to increase the usable region and/or of the throughput of the printer apparatus, flat articles of different thicknesses are processed with predetermined speed, without slippage, in succession with arbitrarily small gaps between successive articles. An elastic, bellows-shaped, resiliently supported air bag has a low-friction, wear-resistant cover surface that is in non-positive contact with the transport belt. With its associated retention and air supply devices the bellows serves as a mobile contact pressure module.

Abstract: The invention relates to a sealing liquid for sealing mailpieces containing water and a penetration agent, to the uses thereof and to letter-closing devices and franking machines containing such a sealing liquid.

Abstract: A printing apparatus has a transport module with a moving transport belt that transports strip-like print media past a printhead for printing thereon. The transport module has an entrance region upstream of the printhead, a magazine for the strip-like media located upstream of the entrance region of the transport module, the transport belt also serves as a take-off device to remove the strip-like media from the magazine, the magazine is mounted laterally offset with respect to the transport belt, thereby causing the strip-like media to be captured by the transport belt only in an edge region of the transport belt. The transport belt is wider by the edge region than is precisely needed to transport the strip-like media, in order to print on a remaining region of the strip-like media, which is smaller by the edge region than a total width of said strip-like media.

Abstract: In a device to clean wiper elements of an inkjet print head of an ink dispenser of a printing apparatus having a chassis, a maintenance station is mounted on the chassis to allow travel of the maintenance station in at least one direction that causes the maintenance station to move past the inkjet print head. The maintenance station carries wiper elements that wipe ink from the surface of the inkjet print head as the maintenance station moves past the inkjet print head. An ink uptake unit is mounted at the chassis at a position past which the maintenance station travels, after traveling past the inkjet print head. The ink uptake unit includes material that transfers ink from the wipers to the material.

Abstract: A modular printing apparatus has a printing device with an inkjet print head and a box-shaped module that urges items toward the print head, for printing thereon. In an operating mode, the box-shaped module is inserted into the printing apparatus via a mechanical connection and can be removed from the printing apparatus in a service mode. A triggering mechanism acts on a locking mechanism with first and second force components that couple the locking mechanism and the mechanical connection element to one another in the operating mode to lock the box-shaped module in a bay of the printing apparatus at the printing apparatus. The second force component acts in an opposite direction in the service mode, to disengage the locking mechanism and the mechanical connection element to unlock and remove the box-shaped module.

Abstract: A sealing liquid for sealing mail pieces contains water and a penetration agent. The sealing liquid is applied by letter-closing devices and franking machines containing such a sealing liquid. Once sealed, the opening of the letter produces a pronounced pattern so that it is clear that the letter has been opened. Therefore any attempts to reseal the once opened enveloped are easily detected.

Abstract: A printing apparatus has a path for transporting flat items in the x-direction, and allows insertion and removal of a box-shaped module along the y-direction. The box-shaped module has a pressure device that exerts pressure in the z-direction on the flat items to be transported. The x-direction, y-direction and z-direction are orthogonal to one another. The components of the box-shaped module in combination with guides of the printing apparatus cooperate to initially move the pressure device along the z-direction during insertion of the box-shaped module into the printing apparatus and to move said box pressure device opposite along the z-direction upon reaching a predetermined position.

Abstract: A printer apparatus has a contact pressure device for flat articles on a continuously moving transport belt, in particular letters in a franking and/or addressing machine. In order to increase the usable region and/or of the throughput of the printer apparatus, flat articles of different thicknesses are processed with predetermined speed, without slippage, in succession with arbitrarily small gaps between successive articles. An elastic, bellows-shaped, resiliently supported air bag has a low-friction, wear-resistant cover surface that is in non-positive contact with the transport belt. With its associated retention and air supply devices the bellows serves as a mobile contact pressure module.

Abstract: A franking machine has an ink jet printing device with exchangeable ink cartridges. The lower housing shell of a security housing of the franking machine has a sealable, shaft-shaped opening in the base and is designed to accommodate assemblies that can be contaminated with ink. These assemblies are situated in a non-secure region of the franking machine and are accessible via the aforementioned opening when a cover of the shaft-shaped opening is opened. A servicing procedure allows the franking machine to be retrofitted to print with a different ink color. After moving the print carriage in one direction and opening a cartridge flap, the ink cartridges can be removed. A displacement of the print carriage takes place after closing the cartridge flap, wherein the print carriage is moved in the opposite direction so that the print carriage arrives in the sealing position for ink cartridges. A box-shaped mod can now be removed from the franking machine.

Abstract: An apparatus for pressing flat materials onto a transport module with a transport belt includes a holding carrier for pressing elements being disposed under a feed table. At least one of the pressing elements is mounted on the holding carrier with a multiplicity of individual resilient or sprung constituent parts, or a multiplicity of pressing elements are disposed on the holding carrier below the transport belt in a transport direction. The pressing elements can protrude through an opening in the feed table, in order to provide suitable pressure from below on the transport belt of the transport module.

Abstract: A transport apparatus for flat materials to be printed includes a transport belt guided over a plurality of rollers along a centrally indented oval curve and supported on a supporting plate disposed above a supporting region of a roller carrier between a shaped partial plate and a bearing plate. A supporting surface area of the supporting plate is greater than a surface area of a printing window, and the transport belt has a width in the y-direction of a Cartesian coordinate system being wider than a width of the printing window. The indented section of the oval curve is configured at least partially for receiving a printing module or the bottom of at least one ink cartridge having a print head.

Abstract: A printing apparatus has a transport module with a moving transport belt tht transports strip-like print media past a printhead for printing thereon. The transport module has an entrance region upstream of the printhead, a magazine for the strip-like media located upstream of the entrance region of the transport module, the transport belt also serves as a take-off device to remove the strip-like media from the magazine, the magazine is mounted laterally offset with respect to the transport belt, thereby causing the strip-like media to be captured by the transport belt only in an edge region of the transport belt. The transport belt is wider by the edge region than is precisely needed to transport the strip-like media, in order to print on a remaining region of the strip-like media, which is smaller by the edge region than a total width of said strip-like media.

Abstract: A transport apparatus for flat materials which are to be printed has a number of spacer pieces which lie axially parallel with respect to one another and are disposed at two ends of a bearing plate of a roller carrier between a first and a second shaped part plate. The bearing plate is equipped with a pull rod for the defined deflection of the roller carrier with corresponding loading of the bearing plate by a mechanical tensile stress which is exerted by the pull rod, and is also equipped with a stressing and setting device, by way of which the tensile stress can be set, which is transmitted through stressing device to the two ends of the bearing plate.

Abstract: An apparatus for changing ink cartridges of a printing apparatus having a transport apparatus for flat goods, a pressing apparatus and a printing module. The transport apparatus is disposed in a stationary manner in the printing apparatus opposite a pressing apparatus which presses an item of mail onto a transport belt. The transport belt, in a transport region, acts with a predetermined adhesive friction on a part of a surface of the item of mail which is not printed but is close to a region to be printed. A change position for ink cartridges is located before the transport region on a front side of the printing apparatus or above the transport region of an appropriately constructed transport apparatus.

Abstract: A method and a configuration provide dynamic control of a liquid supply for a moisturizing storage device for sealing glued edges of a envelope flap of letter envelopes. Once a measured value has been measured for a sealing liquid which is stored in the tank of a moisturizing apparatus, the type of sealing liquid that is used is qualitatively analyzed on the basis of the measured value and of at least one material parameter as a comparison value. The amount of liquid stored in the moisturizing storage device is then measured by at least one further measurement to allow dynamic control of the liquid supply to the moisturizing storage device as a function of the material parameter and of at least one measured value, which is related to the liquid consumption, in the result of the at least one measurement of the amount of liquid stored in the moisturizing storage device.

Abstract: A plug connection for an ink supply, which has an ink supply connector, allows removable connection of the ink supply to an ink-consuming component that carries a rapid action cartridge coupling that forms a fluid connection with the ink supply connector. An ink connection holder is attachable to the ink supply connector and has an opening therein receives the rapid action cartridge coupling. An unlocking element releasable holds the ink connection holder to the ink supply connector when the rapid action cartridge coupling is inserted therein. The ink connection holder has a guide for the rapid action cartridge coupling, and each of the guide and the rapid action cartridge coupling are coded, with complementary mechanical codings, so that the ink connection holder can receive only an appropriately coded rapid action cartridge coupling.