Abstract: A postal sorting machine includes an injection carousel (1) and a system (4) for injecting mail items (3) standing on edge into receptacles (2) of the carousel (1). Each receptacle (2) of the carousel (1) is defined by an end wall (7) and two side walls (5, 6). A flexible deflector (12) is secured to a first side wall (5) of each receptacle in such a manner that each mail item (3) injected into the receptacle (2) is guided towards the end wall (7) while being pressed substantially against the second side wall (6).

Abstract: In some embodiments, a system for automated loading of a side-by-side stack of thin objects to a feeder is provided. The system can include, e.g.: a) a transporter having a transport surface upon which a side-by-side stack of thin objects can be conveyed; b) a carrier, configured to carry a side-by-side stack of thin objects, over the transport surface; c) a pusher over the transport surface; d) the pusher and the carrier being movable relative to one another between a first position in which the pusher is inside the carrier behind a side-by-side stack of thin objects on the carrier and a second position in which the pusher is laterally displaced from the carrier, such that the side-by-side stack of thin objects on the carrier is laterally slid off of the carrier by the pusher.

Abstract: A drop pocket system and method reorients flat articles in a serial stream, by horizontally receiving a horizontally moving, serial input stream of substantially vertically oriented flat articles, sensing reception of each flat article, engaging each sensed flat article, accelerating each engaged flat article into substantially downward movement, and conveying each flat article with the downward movement into a substantially horizontal orientation and movement.

Abstract: Mail location apparatus for a postal meter is disclosed in which a required location of a mail piece to receive a postal indicium imprint is defined by guide walls which are engaged by adjacent edges of the mail piece when the mail piece is in the required location. A sensor is provided to provide an indication when the mail piece is in the required location. The sensor includes a sensor element having a face inclined to both guide walls. When a mail piece is inserted, a corner of the mail piece between the two edges of the mail piece engages the face of the sensor element and displaces the sensor element to output an electrical signal when the mail piece is in the required location with the edges thereof engaging the guide walls.

Abstract: An automated banking machine includes a mechanism for accepting deposited items. Deposited items may be provided to the machine in envelopes which are first passed to a user from an envelope storage area (132) in the machine through a transport (124) and which are presented to the user through an opening (244). An envelope storage and dispensing device (134) is operative to assure that only a single envelope is delivered to the user. A user may thereafter include deposit items in the dispensed envelope. The deposited items are passed through the opening (244) and are deposited in a deposit-holding container (128). The deposited items may be marked with indicia corresponding to the transaction or properties of the deposited item where the envelope originally dispensed to the user for holding the deposited item.

Abstract: A mailpiece sorting apparatus is described which includes a feeder, an OCR scanner, a mailpiece transporter, a sanitizer and compartments or bins for receiving sorted mailpieces, an optical character recognition system (OCR) for reading addressee information, an addressee database, and a personal computer (PC) or microprocessor based control system. In one configuration, mailpieces are feed, singulated and sanitized. In another configuration, mailpieces are fed, singulated, sanitized and sorted. In another configuration, the system is contained in a sanitization area and clean room. The system provides for sanitization of mailpieces so as to help deter delays in incoming mail delivery caused by the presence of life harming material and sanitize the mail so as to protect the intended recipients from harm.

Abstract: Two belt type singulators are used in apparatus which feeds and singulates stacked articles which have varying thickness and shape. The singulators form tandem, spaced apart singulator nips with a transport belt. Each singulator belt has a downwardly sloped underside and moves incrementally around its rollers over time, overcoming certain applied resistive forces. The singulator belt has intermittent contact with the transport belt, when articles are being processed, and there is a resultant scuffing of belts which helps remove debris. Preferably, on off the forces which resists singulator belt motion is created by having a singulator pair with upper rollers, which are rotationally coupled but which have different diameters. The upper ends of the singulator belts project into the hopper which holds the stack and aid in the feeding of articles toward the singulating nips.

Abstract: The present invention includes apparatus and methods for sealing an envelope. A sealing nip is formed by an upper roller and a lower roller. The upper roller is mounted on an upper shaft and the lower roller is mounted on a lower shaft. A mechanism associated with the lower shaft adjusts the orientation of the lower shaft to match the orientation of the upper shaft.

Abstract: A stacking apparatus (10) for stacking flat articles (12) on edge is provided, including a belt turn-up apparatus (20) for receiving the articles at an entry nip (26a) in a flat position and providing them to a discharge magazine (40) in an on-edge position, the belt turn-up apparatus (20) including a housing (20b) contained within an exterior frame (20a) and rotatable about a shaft (20c) near the entry nip (26a) via a screw adjustment (20d) at the egress end of the housing (20b), i.e. adjacent the discharge magazine (40), and so allowing an adjustment of the stacking apparatus (10) to compensate for different sizes of envelopes (12).

Abstract: An envelope with its flap in an open position is driven along a transport path by first transport means (31a) at a first location. When the crease line between the flap and the body of the envelope reaches a predetermined location along the transport path, buckling means (31b, 53) engage the envelope from opposite sides at a second location, spaced apart from the first location, such as to cause the envelope to buckle laterally of the transport path and be partially closed. The buckling envelope with its crease line leading is then received by sealing means (31a, 31b), by means of which the envelope fully closed.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for clearing a jam that occurs on a mailing machine sheet feeder are presented. An envelope stripper and moistener portion of the mailing machine can include a jam release mechanism that provides for a release handle to unlock an upper transport and swing the transport and related portions of the mailing machine into an upright position leaving a transport deck and blade exposed, and thereby facilitating the clearing of a jammed envelope or other mailing piece. The sheet feeding device can include a feeder portion, an upper transport portion and a transport deck. The jam clearing device can include an upper transport frame pivotally mounted to the sheet feeding device via an upper transport pivot shaft and a latching means for securing the upper transport frame in a home position.

Abstract: A module in an envelope insertion station for transporting an envelope to an enclosure material insertion location, which uses endless belts to move the envelope until it is stopped by rotatable stops. A fixedly-mounted vacuum module having vacuum ports provides a suction force to the envelope urging the trailing edge of the envelope to press against the belts and provides the normal force required to move an envelope downstream as it enters the insertion deck without slippage against the translating endless belts. Additionally, a second vacuum module having vacuum ports provides suction force urging the leading edge of the envelope to press against the belts and provides the normal force required to prohibit the leading edge of the envelope from buckling during impact with the rotatable stops. The second vacuum module is removably mounted and mechanically linked to the rotatable stops so they can be repositioned together to accommodate different-sized envelopes.

Abstract: The article conveyor module has a drive system comprising a support plate on which there are mounted a synchronization pulley and a drive belt engaging said synchronization pulley. The synchronization pulley is for coupling to the drive belt of another conveyor module for the purpose of synchronizing the two conveyor modules. In this conveyor module drive system, the synchronization pulley is mounted outside the drive belt. The drive belt of the other conveyor module can also engage the synchronization pulley while remaining on the outside thereof. With this configuration, synchronizing two conveyor modules does not require an intermediate synchronization belt to be installed.

Abstract: An inserting device has at least one transport device having at least one first transport element for transporting envelopes. At least one downstream station is arranged downstream of the at least one transport device. The envelopes are supplied to the at least one downstream station such that the envelopes are deposited in the at least one downstream station in an overlap arrangement. The overlap arrangement can be an imbricated arrangement or a stacked overlap arrangement. An inserting unit is arranged downstream of the at least one downstream station, and the envelopes are supplied to the inserting unit in the overlap arrangement.

Abstract: A drop pocket system and method reorients flat articles in a serial stream, by horizontally receiving a horizontally moving, serial input stream of substantially vertically oriented flat articles, sensing reception of each flat article, engaging each sensed flat article, accelerating each engaged flat article into substantially downward movement, and conveying each flat article with the downward movement into a substantially horizontal orientation and movement.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process for automatically creating and enriching a data base in a system for sorting mail items linked, through an INTRANET communications network, to computer stations of addressees of these mail items and comprising reading means for recognizing postal data printed on these mail items, processing means in order, in relation with a work data base comprising identification data relative to the addressees of the mail items, to identify the individual addressee of a determined mail item, and sorting means for allocating this mail item to the addressee thus identified, process in which there is firstly automatically sent to the electronic mail address of each addressee, a determined electronic message requesting him to be connected on a WEB page of the sorting system in order to enter personal identification data, and, once entered, these data are then automatically stored in a temporary data base for comparison with the data present in the work data base in order thus to ensure autom

Abstract: An apparatus and method for changing the orientation, height and direction of envelopes conveyed in an inserter system. The invention reorienting horizontally transported envelopes to a vertical position. The envelopes then being transported around a turning arrangement comprised of a length of driven belt urged against a large diameter idler wheel. A turning guide serves to aid the envelopes through the turning arrangement. A ramp module comprised of nips having toroidal outer circumferences elevate the vertical envelopes. The envelopes finally are turned 180 degrees to be sorted into sorting bins. The overall arrangement of the invention results in an output sub-system of an inserter system with a shortened footprint and ergonomically desirable layout. Also, features of the invention provide that envelopes avoid damage and jamming and that recently closed envelope flaps do not inadvertently open.

Abstract: An apparatus for stacking articles on edge is provided which has a discharge magazine for stacking the articles face-to-face and on-edge. The magazine has an article edge receiver having a non-offset position and an offset position. The article edge receiver has a register wall for aligning the articles in the non-offset position and a segmented rotational offset disk for aligning the articles in the offset position. The disk has a cut out segment having a planar stop edge surface. The cut out segment is rotatable from an article receiving position to an article bypass position. When in the receiving position, the planar stop edge surface is at a right angle to the two faces of the article. When in the article bypass position, the segmented rotational offset disk allows the articles to bypass the segmented rotational disk.

Abstract: A system and method reorients flat articles in a serial stream, by receiving a horizontally moving, serial input stream of substantially vertically oriented flat articles each having a downwardly oriented primary edge, laterally diverting the flat articles in the serial input stream alternately between a pair of separate paths, impeding horizontal movement of each flat article in each separate path, accelerating each flat article with impeded horizontal movement in the direction of its primary edge, and delivering substantially horizontally oriented flat articles from each separate path.

Abstract: A drop pocket system and method reorients flat articles in a serial stream, by horizontally receiving a horizontally moving, serial input stream of substantially vertically oriented flat articles, sensing reception of each flat article, engaging each sensed flat article, accelerating each engaged flat article into substantially downward movement, and conveying each flat article with the downward movement into a substantially horizontal orientation and movement.

Abstract: As a rotary member 21 provided on the back surface side of a guide 5 is rotated, its blades get out to the front surface side through a window 8 formed in the guide 5. With this rotation, the height level of the blades getting out from the window 8 is changed. With the rotation of the rotary member 21, postal matter being led reaches a side plate 3. A bottom plate 2 is slanted such that its side, on which the guide 5 is provided, is higher in level than the opposite side 53. Owing to this slant, a support plate 4 receives gravitational force of the postal matter stack. A wire 16 is held stretched between a holder slide 7 and a wire mounting member 17. Springs 14 and 15 are elongated with movement of the support plate 4 caused by the gravitational force of the stack. The springs 14 and 15 provide increasing forces tending to restore their initial length with their elongation.

Abstract: In a paper-leaves conveying means for conveying a plurality of paper leaves, set together in a bundle in a depositing section, toward a paper-leaves feeding position where a separating/supplying belt exists, an arm is provided which is designed to be moved toward the paper-leaves feeding position in a protruding condition into the interior of the depositing section for supporting side surfaces of the paper leaves, and further to be retreated instantaneously from the interior of the depositing section immediately before the last paper leaf existing between the arm and the separating/supplying belt is handed over to the separating/supplying belt side. Thus, the arm can support the paper leaves until immediately before they are handed over to the separating/supplying belt, which eliminates the occurrence of the falling-down of the paper leaves at the paper-leaves feeding position.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for stacking articles. The articles may comprise mail pieces. The apparatus comprises a base having a top surface. The top surface defines a rake element having extending fingers defining open spaces therebetween. A receiving unit is mounted proximate to the rake. The unit may be made to rotate. The unit further comprises a plurality of coils. The coils may be helical, concentric and vertically displaced so as to define a vertical open space therebetween. When rotating, the coils may be made to move in the direction of a support positioned atop the top surface. The support may further comprise a spring bias to urge the support against a stack of articles. A supporting wall is also provided as well as a supply element which directs incoming articles into the vertical opening. The movement of the coils transports the articles to a stack which is support on one side by the support, on another by the supporting wall and on yet another by the top surface.

Abstract: The invention relates to a stacking device for flat postal items standing on edge. The stacking device comprises guide means for guiding the postal items supplied to it to a stacking position on a stacking base against a support wall on which the postal items are slowed down. Of course the present invention may apply to other types of articles as well. The stacking device is further provided with a stacker plate that can be displaced in the direction of stacking along a linear guide. The stacker plate cooperates with a spring element to produce a pressure force that is approximately constant across the zone of displacement and that is directed against the forming stack. The movable part of a damper element is fastened on the movable part of the spring element, said damper element being only active when a displacement directed away from the stacking position is exerted.

Abstract: A flat article hopper having a plurality of bottom rods to form a supporting surface for supporting a stack of flat articles and a paddle to push the flat articles towards a flat article feeder at the downstream end. A scrub wheel is rotatably mounted on a fixed, rotation axis on the paddle and is in contact with one of the bottom rods. The rotation axis of the scrub wheel is oriented at an angle relative to the rotation axis of the contacting rod, so that when the contacting rod rotates, it causes the scrub wheel to rotate, thereby producing a force on the paddle urging the paddle to move towards the downstream end. Preferably, the flat article hopper has a side rod on one side of the envelope stack, and the supporting surface is tilted from the horizontal surface, so that the flat articles are moved towards the side rod by gravity in order to register against the side rod. Preferably, the side rod also rotates in order to reduce the friction between the flat article stack and the side rod.

Abstract: The present invention comprises a system and method for loading or stacking objects into open top containers. The objects may be flat with wide and narrow sides and may further comprise mail pieces. The system comprises a pivoting unit for pivoting a container holding member into one of at least two positions: a top position, and a stacking position. In the top position, the container is held such that the open top faces substantially upwards, while in the bottom position the top faces substantially horizontal. A stacking aid is introduced into the container when it is held in the top position. The stacking aid includes an inclined wall that helps guide the objects into the container. A height sensor may also be included. The pivoting unit may also include a horizontal extension unit which may telescope the container in a horizontal direction. This facilitates easier manual handling of the container.

Abstract: The invention pertains to a stacking device for flat, upright mail pieces of different sizes, with a support (5) for holding the stack which can be displaced in the stacking direction in accordance with the thickness of the stack, and with a stacking point, to which the mail pieces (1) are transported in order to form the stack. The invention is characterized by the fact that the support (5) is arranged such that it can, during the course of its movement in the stacking direction, be displaced from a lower position, in which it reliably holds the largest portion of the front side or the rear side of the smallest mail pieces (1), into an upper position, in which the lower portion of the support (5) is situated underneath the upper edge of the smallest mail pieces (1) and the upper portion of the support (5) is situated above the center of gravity of the largest mail pieces (1).

Abstract: In order to fold folded products having sealing flaps with or without mating flaps, such as packaging bags including envelopes with or without self-adhesive glue, the envelopes are moved against a stationary stop and the mating flaps and the sealing flaps are then turned over by suction elements arranged on a mating flap roll and on a sealing flap roll. The mating flap roll, which bears the suction element that turns the mating flaps over, has a radius that is reduced on a part of the roll's circumference that is not equipped with the suction element. The mating flap roll can be locked in such a rotational position, that a folded product not having a mating flap can be moved past this roll to the stationary stop without contacting or virtually without contacting this roll.

Abstract: A method for tagging the mail pieces in a mail tray and validating the integrity of the mail pieces in the tray. The method is accomplished by: determining the measurement of an edge of each mail piece that will be placed in a tray; determining the thickness of each mail piece that will be placed in the tray; determining the number of mail pieces that will be placed in the tray; calculating an incremental pattern dab that is going to be placed on the edge of each mail piece; placing a portion of the pattern on the edge of each mail piece that is going to form the mail pieces of the tray; and placing the mail pieces in the tray in an ordered manner so that the edges having dabs will be visible, and the dabs will form a pattern that indicates only the determined number of mail pieces are in the tray.

Abstract: A method for matching a manifest or statement of a mailing with the mail pieces contained in a tray. The method is accomplished by: printing a pattern on the edge of mail pieces; placing the mail pieces in a tray; and printing the pattern on the manifest or statement of mailing and on the edges of the mail pieces contained in the tray.

Abstract: A mail inserter having an insertion station for inserting mailing material into an envelope. The mail inserter further comprises a sheet provider module for providing sheets of mailing material, an exit module for conveying the mailing material to the insertion station, and an intermediate module, which can be a sheet folder or a sheet transport disposed between the sheet provider module and the exit module. The sheet provider can be a cut sheet feeder or a burster for separating individual sheets from a continuous web. The sheet provider and the burster are mechanically interchangeable. The folder and the sheet transport are also mechanically interchangeable. The exit module can additionally has a trap stage to temporarily hold the mailing material until the insertion station is ready to receive the next mailing material, and a slitter to trim off an edge of the mailing material.

Abstract: A method and system for transporting envelopes from an envelope feeder to an envelope staging area in an envelope insertion machine. The envelope transport system includes two envelope bins and two envelope supply paths linking the envelope bins to an envelope feeder. Each of the bins is used to temporarily store an envelope before that envelope is moved to the staging area. The envelope supply paths are controlled by a flipper gate which alternately opens one path and closes another so as to allow an envelope to enter one envelope bin while another envelope in the other envelope bin is moved to the staging area. With the dual envelope bins connected to the dual supply paths to receive envelopes released by the envelope feeder, the envelope feeder does not have to slow down substantially in order to wait for the released envelope to clear the feeding path.

Abstract: A method and arrangement in doctoring in a paper or board machine is disclosed in which the web travels through at least one press nip, in which the press nip is formed by at least a press roll and its backing roll and in which at least one roll is doctored using at least one doctor device. The press roll is doctored essentially over the width of the web.

Abstract: The present invention provides an aligner apparatus which bottom edge aligns documents and separates documents and provides adequate gap between documents for subsequent processing. The an aligner apparatus includes first and second guide walls, forming an alley along the document feed path in which the documents are relieved of interdocument forces allowing bottom edge alignment of the documents with the document feed path. A trap assembly including first and second trap levers is lever mounted along the document feed path on a side of the guide wall and when actuated, cause opposing forces on one-another in order to grab the documents as they move along the feed path in the aligner apparatus so as to control the gap between the documents. It apparatus further provides an adequate gap between documents while reducing noise. Each trap lever has a head portion, which is fitted with a resilient pad, which is attached to the trap arm in a manner that forms a gap between the head and the pad.

Abstract: An improved jogger includes a sidewall with a guide groove, a chain defining a closed path including a sloped loading end and a straight transport section, the sloped loading end being angled toward the transport section in the direction of the travel of the chain at least two sprockets, the sprockets defining the slope of the sloped loading end of the closed path, a plurality of fingers coupled to the chain at spaced apart intervals, the fingers receiving flat articles therebetween at the sloped loading end and conveying the articles along the horizontal transport section and a plurality of guides coupled to the fingers, the guides engaging the guide groove and orienting fingers in a position perpendicular to the horizontal transport section as the fingers are carried into the sloped loading end.

Abstract: The invention relates to a conveyor device for transporting and expelling material to be conveyed, especially flat postal items. The inventive device comprises vertically pivotable conveying modules that are arranged one behind the other. The aim of the invention is to reduce the closing time required by the pivoted conveyor module component to go back to the level of the succeeding conveyor module component. The component of the conveyor modules is designed in such a way that said component can also be driven in the vertical direction, whereby said component is the front component when seen in the conveying direction. Immediately after a material to be conveyed (3) has been expelled and when the next material to be conveyed (3) is transported further, said front component of the conveyor module (1) that succeeds the expelling conveyor module (1) is pivoted against the component that is pivoted for expelling.

Abstract: The present invention generally relates to a printing apparatus including a marking device, the marking device being capable of placing an image on a sheet fed therein, and outputting the sheet; a feed path, by which sheets are fed from a sheet supply to the marking device; a duplex path, by which sheets output from the marking device are re-fed to the marking device; a first sensor, outputting a first position signal relating to a location of a side edge as each sheet passes through the feed path; a second sensor, outputting a second position signal relating to a location of a side edge as each sheet passes through the duplex path; and an image placement controller associated with the marking device, the image placement controller retaining first position signals for a plurality of sheets passing through the feed path and second position signals for a plurality of sheets passing through the duplex path, and calculating new average paper positions for each sheet in response to at least one of the first positi

Abstract: A method and apparatus for staging envelopes in a mail insertion machine. In the mail insertion machine, envelopes are moved into an envelope inserting area one at a time with the flap of the envelopes trailing the envelope bottom edge and flipped away so as to allow enclosure material to be inserted into the envelope. While one envelope is paused in the envelope inserting area for receiving enclosure material, the next envelope is moved towards the envelope inserting area such that the flap of the paused envelope in the envelope inserting area is partially overlapped with the next envelope in a shingling fashion. In order to properly separate these envelopes, a sensing device is used to sense the arrival of the bottom edge of the next envelope in order to control the further movement of the next envelope.

Abstract: A dynamic weighing module including a weighing platform, a vertical, longitudinal registration wall, drive belts for transporting the mailpieces from a position upstream of this platform towards a downstream position, and a support fast with the dynamic weighing module on which is mounted at least one bearing element intended to hold the mailpieces on the weighing platform during transport thereof from the upstream position towards the downstream position. The support element is inclined towards the registration wall by a determined angle &agr; so as to guide the mailpieces against the longitudinal registration wall.

Abstract: A simplified pressure sealing apparatus for acting on business forms having pressure activated cohesive to seal the cohesive has only two or three pressure-seal rollers for effecting proper sealing. The pressure seal rollers may receive a folded business form substantially immediately from the output of a folder, or one of the pressure-seal rollers may function to both assist in folding the form, and then pressure sealing it. The form may be held in a flip plate above the nip between first and second pressure-seal rollers, or a separate set of idler nip wheels may hold the form in position once it has passed completely through the sealing nip. In either case the form may pass completely through the sealing nip yet be moved through the sealing nip in the opposite direction, and then diverted to a stack.

Abstract: Device for conveying flat objects (1), held vertically, at high speed between processing equipment items, and in particular for conveying mail envelopes. This device comprises: a stationary baseplate (3) extending from one equipment item to the other, a motorized reference belt (4) stretched over a set of vertical pulleys (7) and extending above the baseplate along the conveying path between equipment items; a motorized press belt (5) mounted in such a way that it can be pressed against the reference belt along the conveying path; a series of defonnable wheels (6) along the conveying path between equipment items, which can come to bear against the press belt in the zone where the latter presses against the reference belt, so as to grip the conveyed envelopes appropriately in spite of the differences in thickness between envelopes.

Abstract: The present invention provides an aligner apparatus which bottom edge aligns documents and separates documents and provides adequate gap between documents for subsequent processing. The an aligner apparatus includes first and second guide walls, forming an alley along the document feed path in which the documents are relieved of interdocument forces allowing bottom edge alignment of the documents with the document feed path. A trap assembly including first and second trap levers is lever mounted along the document feed path on a side of the guide wall and when actuated, cause opposing forces on one-another in order to grab the documents as they move along the feed path in the aligner apparatus so as to control the gap between the documents. It apparatus further provides an adequate gap between documents while reducing noise. Each trap lever has a head portion which is fitted with a resilient pad which is attached to the trap arm in a manner that forms a gap between the head and the pad.

Abstract: A stacking apparatus for stacking flat articles on edge is provided where each article has a front perimeter edge and two faces and the stacking apparatus receives each flat article as it enters the stacking apparatus moving in a direction generally parallel to the face of each article. The stacking apparatus includes a discharge magazine for sequentially receiving and stacking the flat articles face-to-face in an on-edge stack. The discharge magazine includes an article inlet, a register wall wherein the front perimeter edge of each envelope contacts the register wall to align each front perimeter edge of each article as the articles enter said stack. The discharge magazine further includes an article face support member, wherein a face of one of the flat articles abuts the article face support member, and a segmented roller for receiving and aligning the flat articles for insertion into the on-edge stack. The segmented roller includes a rotatable segmented cylinder having a longitudinal central axis.

Abstract: An apparatus for processing and transferring mail includes a franking and/or addressing machine and a downstream depositing apparatus for depositing items of mail stackwise one above the other. The mail is transported continuously in the machine by a transporting belt and is printed by a contactless printing device, such as an ink-jet printing head being immobile during printing. A transporting roller over which the mail is guided is disposed in the machine immediately downstream of the belt at a sufficient distance from the printing head and is driven at a circumferential speed greater than that of the belt. An orthogonal distance between the roller and the printing head causes a course of the mail to be determined by the belt alone during printing.

Abstract: An article feeder includes a feeder bin for holding and advancing a stack of articles. A stripper belt mechanism engages the first article contained in the stack and singularly draws the article from the stack. The stripper belt mechanism includes a source of vacuum for drawing vacuum onto the first article. A biasing mechanism biases the stripper belt mechanism against the stack of articles and applies back pressure thereto. The biasing mechanism is adjustable for varying the back pressure against the stack of articles to accommodate articles of varying thickness. A method for operating an article feeder is also disclosed.

Abstract: In a mail processing system with a franking and addressing machine and to a method for combined franking and address printing, both printing jobs for franking or addressing are sequentially implemented in a specific sequence in separate passes with a single print head. The print medium surface is correspondingly printed while the print medium is transported past the print head. A turning station is provided for rotating a print medium by approximately 180° before or after the printing and is arranged in the mail processing system preceding or following the digital printer device.

Abstract: A configuration for determining the dimensions of printed media, especially of letters or envelopes, is used in a separating apparatus of a mail processing system, in which the printed media are transferred on an output side by an ejector to a following device, such as a scale or a franking machine. The field of use is widened by determining the dimensions of the printed media by using existing elements. A device is provided for scanning and determining the dimensions of the printed media, and the ejector is included in the scanning of the printed media. Sensors are electrically connected to an evaluation circuit which transmits measurement results to the following device.

Abstract: An empty envelope assurance system is provided. The system includes a conveyor for conveying an opened envelope having a front face and a rear face along a path of movement. The conveyor is arranged such that any contents of the envelope rests against one of the front face or the rear face. A first sensor measures a thickness of the front face and any contents resting thereagainst, and generates a signal having a value indicative of the thickness. A second sensor measures a thickness of the rear face and any contents resting thereagainst, and generates a signal having a value indicative of the thickness. A signal processor receives the signals generated by the first sensor and the second sensor, and compares the values of the signals generated by the first sensor with the values of the signals generated by the second sensor to determine whether they correspond within a predetermined limit to determine whether the envelope contains any contents.

Abstract: A method and system for transporting envelopes from an envelope feeder to an envelope staging area in an envelope insertion machine. The envelope transport system includes two envelope bins and two envelope supply paths linking the envelope bins to an envelope feeder. Each of the bins is used to temporarily store an envelope before that envelope is moved to the staging area. The envelope supply paths are controlled by a flipper gate which alternately opens one path and closes another so as to allow an envelope to enter one envelope bin while another envelope in the other envelope bin is moved to the staging area. With the dual envelope bins connected to the dual supply paths to receive envelopes released by the envelope feeder, the envelope feeder does not have to slow down substantially in order to wait for the released envelope to clear the feeding path.

Abstract: The present invention provides an aligner apparatus which bottom edge aligns documents and separates documents and provides adequate gap between documents for subsequent processing. The an aligner apparatus includes first and second guide walls, forming an alley along the document feed path in which the documents are relieved of interdocument forces allowing bottom edge alignment of the documents with the document feed path. A trap assembly including first and second trap levers is lever mounted along the document feed path on a side of the guide wall and when actuated, cause opposing forces on one-another in order to grab the documents as they move along the feed path in the aligner apparatus so as to control the gap between the documents. It apparatus further provides an adequate gap between documents while reducing noise. Each trap lever has a head portion which is fitted with a resilient pad which is attached to the trap arm in a manner that forms a gap between the head and the pad.