Abstract: The present invention is directed, in a general aspect, to a method of updating an addressee database in an incoming mail sorting apparatus comprising the steps of: a) providing the addressee database stored in memory associated with the mail sorting apparatus; b) providing a mailpiece to be read and sorted by the mail sorting apparatus; c) reading the mailpiece to determine whether the mailpiece is an update form; d) reading update information from the mailpiece if the mailpiece is an update form; e) updating addressee information as required by the update information on the update form. The method can be initiated by each individual employee using a readily available form and providing information manually or by using a software program resident on the employee's personal computer to generate the update form information. The method provides an easily accessible method of updating an addressee database that reduces database maintenance costs.

Abstract: An unflapped envelope (60) is fed, with its crease line trailing, along a path (42) from an envelope feeder and between the rollers of a reversibly driveable roller pair (43), for onward transfer to, for example, an insertion station. When the crease line reaches a predetermined point in front of the roller pair (43), the drive is reversed and the envelope with the crease line leading directed along a flapper path, including a deflecting surface 46; to a flapping chamber or zone (47), at least until the flap (61) is engageable by a flapper blade (44;44a). The drive is then reversed again and the envelope driven back along the flapper path, a flap opening surface (49) of a flapper blade (44) or a pair of flapper blade elements (44a), causing the flap (61) to be stripped from the body of the envelope (60) as it exits the flapping zone, and proceeds to the insertion station.

Abstract: The present invention is directed generally to a folder apparatus for sheets, and more particularly an improved knife folder. In an embodiment, the folder comprises an inducer which is repositionable between a first position and second position, and an idler roller. In the first position the idler roller and a fold roller form a nip. The inducer further comprises a blade adjacent to the idler roller. A first side of the blade and another fold roller define a portion of the feed path adjacent to the another fold roller. When the inducer is in a second position an auxiliary feed path is formed and the sheet may travel along the auxiliary feed path and subsequently be buckled by the blade when the inducer returns to the first position.

Abstract: The present invention is directed, in a general aspect, to a method of updating an addressee database in an incoming mail sorting apparatus comprising the steps of: a) providing the addressee database stored in memory associated with the mail sorting apparatus; b) providing a mailpiece to be read and sorted by the mail sorting apparatus; c) reading the mailpiece to determine whether the mailpiece is an update form; d) reading update information from the mailpiece if the mailpiece is an update form; e) updating addressee information as required by the update information on the update form. The method can be initiated by each individual employee using a readily available form and providing information manually or by using a software program resident on the employee's personal computer to generate the update form information. The method provides an easily accessible method of updating an addressee database that reduces database maintenance costs.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to an envelope processing system system in which a supply of envelopes is placed for moistening and sealing. The moistening and sealing apparatus is designed to receive all types of intermixed mail envelopes with various shaped flaps. The envelopes may be loaded into the supply station in different configurations including intermixed with closed sealed flaps, unsealed open flaps, or closed unsealed flaps. The system is designed.to receive such envelopes, process them so that the flaps are automatically closed prior to moistening if they are not closed. The flaps of the envelopes are then moistened indirectly using capillary action of a sealing agent, and sealed with a sealing apparatus.

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: An inserter system for inserting folded sheets into an envelope providing at least one sheet feeding station for feeding individual sheets and an accumulation station in communication with the at least one sheet feeding station having a curved paper path wherein individual sheets are fed into the curved paper path from the at least one sheet feeding station and are accumulated therewithin. A folding station is in communication with the accumulation station for receiving an accumulation of sheets from the curved paper path for folding the accumulation of sheets.

Abstract: A method and device for improving the throughput of a continuous web cutter, which is operated in move-and-pause cycles to allow the web to be cut into cut sheets. To avoid tear and web breakage, the web is fed at a low cycle rate at the starting stage. The cycle rate is progressively increased. When a feed rhythm is developed at the higher cycle rate, a constant cycle rate is maintained for the rest of the web operation.

Abstract: A system and method for electronic printstream delivery including the steps of providing a database containing a plurality of electronic documents wherein at least some of the electronic documents have an associated barcode in an electronic printstream and splitting the electronic delivery printstream into a plurality of electronic documents. Once the electronic documents have been individually split from the electronic printstream the presence of electronic barcodes that are associated with at least some of the electronic documents are identified and interpolated. The electronic mail pieces are then generated using the information obtained from the identification of the electronic barcodes, wherein each electronic mail piece includes one of the plurality of electronic documents and at least some of the electronic mail pieces include respective electronic inserts. The electronic mail pieces are then delivered by an electronic delivery system.

Abstract: A method for dynamically determining a motion control profile used in controlling motion of an axis of an overhead transport motor so as to be synchronized to the motion of a collating transport motor of an insertion engine used to insert a collation into an envelope when the collating transport motor causes a collating pusher to handoff the collation to an overhead pusher being driven by the overhead transport motor. The motion profile consists of a finite number of segments and repeats after the finite number of segments, the finite number of segments constituting a cycle.

Abstract: A system and corresponding method for accumulating sheets as part of the operation of a mailing system and for conveying the sheets along a normal feed path, and including a mis-scan diverter for diverting sheets that have been mis-scanned from a normal feed path to a first alternate path, and a selective diverter for diverting selective document sets from the normal feed path to a second alternate path. In some applications, the selective diverter includes a pivot table by-pass guide positioned according to commands received from a selective controller so as to selectively divert a sheet. Such a selective diverter uses a nip formed at the distal end of the pivot table by-pass guide by a continuously running cooperating roller and a surface of the pivot table by-pass guide, so that a sheet entering the nip so formed is diverted to the second alternate path.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an input system for feeding one-up sheets from a paper web to a high speed mass mailing inserter system. The input system includes a feeding module for supplying a paper web having two web portions in side-by-side relationship. A merging module is located downstream in the path of travel from the feeding module and is operational to feed the two web portions in an upper-lower relationship so as to reorient the paper web from the side-by-side relationship to an upper-lower relationship. A separating module is located downstream in the path of travel from the merging module and is operational to receive the paper web in the upper-lower relationship and separate the paper web into individual two-up sheets. In order to separate the two-up sheets into one-up sheets, a stacking module is located downstream in the path of travel from the separating module and is configured to receive the two-up sheets, stack the two-up sheets and individually feed one-up sheets from the stack.

Abstract: A printstream processor separates documents, e.g. in a printstream or batch, into a physical delivery printstream and an electronic delivery printstream based on delivery preferences stored in a database. The documents in the physical delivery printstream are printed and combined with physical inserts for physical delivery, e.g. by the U.S. Postal Server. The documents in the electronic delivery printstream are combined with electronic inserts for electronic delivery, for example, via electronic mail, facsimile, pager, or to a server on World Wide Web.

Abstract: An operating management system and method for selectively interacting with at least one postage meter provided on each one of a plurality of inserter systems coupled to the operating management system. Each inserter system having a control system and the operating management system includes a computer coupled to each control system of each inserter system. Each control system is coupled to at least one postage meter, the computer being adapted to selectively interact with at least one postage meter provided on each said inserter system to obtain selected information therefrom.

Abstract: A method for controlling an inserter system having a chassis for assembling mailpieces, the chassis operating cyclically with successive accumulations advancing at the end of each cycle. The inserter system further includes a document feeder for feeding accumulations of documents to the chassis, the accumulations containing varying numbers of documents whereby the document feeder is operated at a first speed such that accumulations are available for input to the chassis at varying intervals substantially depending upon the number of documents in corresponding accumulations. And the chassis is operated at a selected speed, which speed is periodically updated in dependence upon the number of documents in the corresponding accumulations in the document feeder.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and system for supplying document accumulation sets to an inserter system wherein sheets are first feed into a sheet stacking device to be stacked into a stacking pile. Individual sheets are then fed in seriatim from the stacking pile into a collating device, which collates a predetermined number of the individual sheets into a collation set. The collation set is then advanced into an accumulating device, which accumulates at least one collation set to form an accumulation set. The accumulation set is then advanced into the inserter system for further processing.

Abstract: In order to locate a package (110) which houses active elements including an opto-electric type transducer (100), in a position which assures that the opto-electric sensor and other active elements will be located in proper operative positions when the package is installed in predetermined piece of apparatus, the package casing (102) is provided with location features (112) at least some of which are deformable. During optimization, the package is moved with respect to a target until such time as the sensor is detected as producing an optimal output. Selected location features are then deformed to form location faces (112a) which have a predetermined spatial relationship with the active elements and which ensure that the active elements will be supported in an optimally operative position when the package is operatively disposed in a device such as an optical scanner or the like.

Abstract: An apparatus for determining the location and content of data blocks on a mailpiece includes a computer connected to a structure for obtaining a digital bit map image of an outer surface of a mailpiece. The computer includes structure programmed for: finding each run of a plurality of black bits of each scan line of the bit map image and determining if any bit thereof neighbors at least one black bit of another scan line; combining the found run with each neighboring bit to form a piece; assigning a descriptive value to a block having at least one piece and comparing the descriptive value to a list of values to determine which type of data block the block having the descriptive value is.

Abstract: A method for creating a status report data file for a document job in a document system including a central database configured to create a status report data file for each document job received at the central database and a plurality of sub-systems coupled to the central database where each sub-system is configured to perform a specific document task pertaining to a document job. A status report for a document job is created in the central database upon the appearance of that job from any one of a plurality of sub-systems coupled to the central database.

Abstract: A method and device for collating a number of sheets, serially and separately entering an entry point, into a stack at an exiting point without slowing down or pausing the sheets. The method and device, according to the present invention, provide a plurality of traveling paths with different path lengths to connect the entry point and exiting point, and use controlling devices to control the paths such that a sheet entering the entry point will travel a shorter path than the preceding sheet. It is preferred that the path length difference between any two adjacent paths is the same. The path length difference can be smaller than or equal to the length of the sheets. When the path length difference is equal to the sheet length, all sheets travel through different paths will arrive the exiting point concurrently.