Abstract: A document accumulator comprising for high-speed document assembly includes first and second pulleys, a first outer belt extending between the first and second pulleys for contacting and transporting a document, a second outer belt extending between the first and second pulleys, and extending generally parallel to and horizontally displaced from the first outer belt, for contacting and transporting a document, and an inner belt generally parallel to and horizontally displaced from both the first and second outer belts such that it lies between the first and second outer belts. A first side guide has a first vertical surface adjacent to a horizontal reach of the first outer belt, and a second side guide has a second vertical surface adjacent to a horizontal reach of the second outer belt. A belt-dampening table having a horizontal surface adjacent to a horizontal reach of the inner belt is provided for dampening oscillations of the inner belts which occur at high speeds.

Abstract: A document processing machine includes a sheet supplying apparatus for supplying a seriatim stream of sheets; an accumulator for accumulating the stream of sheets into sets; a reader for reading a mark on a document and decoding the mark to obtain information regarding the set to which the document belongs; a buffer for storing accumulated sets; and a controller for controlling a speed at which the sheet supplying apparatus operates based upon the state of one or more variables affecting the speed at which downstream devices can process sheets. Such variable include, e.g., the number of accumulated sets in the buffer, the number of sheets in a set being processed, the form length of sheets within a set being processed, and the speed at which a downstream base insertion machine can receive sets.

Abstract: A multi-stage, serpentine-shaped buffer has an entry area for receiving documents, a first level comprising a first plurality of document stages, a first turn-around for substantially reversing the direction of document travel following said first plurality of stages, a second level vertically adjacent to said first level, said second level comprising a second plurality of document stages, a second turn-around for substantially reversing the direction of document travel, and a third level vertically adjacent to said second level, said third level comprising a third plurality of document stages.

Abstract: A document accumulator for high-speed document assembly includes first and second pulleys, a first outer belt extending between the first and second pulleys for contacting and transporting a document, a second outer belt extending between the first and second pulleys, and extending generally parallel to and horizontally displaced from the first outer belt, for contacting and transporting a document, and an inner belt generally parallel to and horizontally displaced from both the first and second outer belts such that it lies between the first and second outer belts. A first side guide has a first vertical surface adjacent to a horizontal reach of the first outer belt, and a second side guide has a second vertical surface adjacent to a horizontal reach of the second outer belt. A belt-dampening table having a horizontal surface adjacent to it horizontal reach of the inner belt is provided for dampening oscillations of the inner belts which occur at high speeds.

Abstract: An envelope sealer includes a first horizontal plate for receiving an envelope, a vacuum manifold for drawing open the envelope's downward-facing flap as it departs from the first horizontal surface, and a plow for catching the flap and directing it such that the flap travels below a second horizontal plate while the body of the envelope travels above the second horizontal plate. A fiber-optic sensor system is provided for detecting the non-presence of a flap during the travel of the envelope over the second horizontal plate and for actuating a downstream diverter in response thereto. An unseal unseal ramp is provided for lifting the flap over the plow if it is determined that the envelope should not be sealed. During the flap 's travel below the second horizontal plate, it passes and engages a wetted brush, whereby water is applied to the flap's adhesive surface.

Abstract: A document accumulator capable of tool-less adjustment to accomodate a plurality of paper sizes includes a shaft laterally oriented across a paper path through the accumulator, a guide element mounted to the shaft for contacting and guiding documents transported through the accumulator, a connector for slidably connecting the guide element to the shaft, and a compressible O-ring inserted between the shaft and the connector for imparting friction therebetween, whereby the guide element can be translated along the shaft without the use of a tool.

Abstract: A document accumulator capable of tool-less adjustment to accommodate a plurality of paper sizes includes first and second shafts laterally oriented across a paper path through the accumulator, first and second multi-grooved pulleys affixed to the first and second shafts, respectively, and at least one endless belt extending between the shafts, the endless belt engaging a first groove of the first multi-grooved pulley and a first groove of the second multi-grooved pulley. The belt is translatable without the use of tools into a second groove of the first multi-grooved pulley and a second groove of the second multi-grooved pulley for making a paper-size adjustment.

Abstract: A document sorting section for sorting flat documents wherein a plurality of primary document conveying paths are interposed between rows of opposing document stacking elements and document diverters are positioned in the primary paths. Each of the primary conveying paths are in conveying communication with separate diverters and corresponding sorting paths, such as angularly disposed sorting paths, wherein each of the sorting paths is in conveying communication with either of the primary conveying paths, but not both. A primary pivotal diverter, located upstream from the first and second primary conveying paths, diverts documents from the main transport path to either of the primary conveying paths.

Abstract: A diverter and on-edge stacker for diverting and on-edge stacking of envelopes comprises: an envelope conveying path; a device for selectively diverting a conveyed envelope by intercepting a lateral portion of the leading envelope edge and thereby skewing the envelope; a stepper-motor-driven spider wheel having legs and gaps therebetween for receiving diverted envelopes; revolving rollers to capture and drive the skewed envelope away from the conveying path into a gap of the momentarily stationary spider wheel; and, a sensor to sense an envelope that has been driven into a spider wheel gap and, consequently, to control rotation of the spider wheel by one gap pitch.

Abstract: A Sheet Feeding System (10) having a reciprocating vacuum shuttle plate (52) includes a knife gate (112) and high-friction rollers 118 and 120 position between the knife gate and an additional conveyor formed by a driven feed roller 94 and an idler feed roller 96. The high-friction rollers form a singulator gap (188) with shoulders 184 of a vacuum-groove (186) on a sheet-engaging surface of the reciprocating shuttle plate. The sheet feeding system includes a transition tray (14) downstream of the additional conveyor for providing a transition to clamps of an endless chain (178). The transition tray comprises an endless conveyor belt (156) with a floating feed roller (160) biased thereagainst. The position of the floating feed roller can be adjusted so as to space it approximately a sheet length from a stationary clamp (176) on the endless chain.

Abstract: A turnover-sequencer staging apparatus for sheets comprises: a receiver, a turnover-sequencer, and a staging segment. The receiving device receives at least two side-by-side sheets and supplies these to the turnover-sequencer wherein the sheets are overturned and rerouted in a substantially orthogonal direction, the relationship between sheets having been converted to sequential whereby the sheets become disposed seriatim and imbricated. The overturned and rerouted seriatim-imbricated sheets are selectively de-imbricated in the staging segment by separation of selected consecutive sheets. Separation is effected by braking or stopping of the conveying motion of the trailing one of two consecutive sheets. In other embodiments, separation can be accomplished by changing the speed of conveying of one of two consecutive sheets; either by speeding up of the leading sheet or by slowing down of the trailing sheet.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for stacking a plurality of flat articles on edge, comprising a discharge magazine for sequentially receiving and stacking the flat articles in a stack, the discharge magazine including moveable discharge support belts adapted to support the stack of articles on edge and a moveable compression plate to maintain the articles on edge. A drive element is provided for controllably moving the discharge support belts. A stacker section adjacent the discharge magazine transports articles sequentially into the stack, the stacker section comprising stacker belts extending around a plurality of rollers.The last of the articles in the stack abuts against the stacker belts adjacent one of the rollers to apply a compressive force developed by the stack of flat articles and the compression plate to the one roller. The one roller is movably mounted to the apparatus for movement responsive to increases and decreases in the compressive force.

Abstract: A device for the delivery of documents conveyed in a vertical orientation along a document path to a receptacle in a substantially horizontal orientation includes a diverter for diverting individual vertically disposed documents away from the document path in a direction toward the receptacle, a document receiving and transporting system disposed adjacent the diverter to receive the documents and progressively advancing and changing the orientation of the documents from vertical to horizontal, whereby the documents are each delivered into the receptacle in a substantially horizontal orientation.

Abstract: A multiple-document detection system for an insertion machine comprises a plurality of document detectors, each detector being preset to a successive maximum allowable document-group-thickness measurement; a group of documents whose measured thickness exceeds the preset maximum allowable size for a particular detector will cause that detector's input line to change from a "normal" level to a "tripped" level. A processing means then determines the actual number of documents in a measured group of documents according to which of the successively preset detectors was the first to be "tripped". The processing means also receives a signal indicative of an expected number of documents for the particular measured group. The expected-number signal is sent, for example, by a reader, upstream of the plurality of detectors, which reads the expected number from a master document in the group.

Abstract: A transport section for a document-handling machine includes a pair of horizontally-oriented feed belts which act in conjunction with segment flaps on a segmented, vertically-oriented feed belt to deliver groupings of mail items in a feeding direction. A set of horizontally-oriented take-away belts receives documents from the horizontally-oriented-feed belts and transports them at an accelerated speed with respect to the horizontally-oriented feed belts. The accelerated speed of the take-away belts is used to compensate for the acceleration of each given document by the tips of the flaps as the flaps round the corner at the end of their run.

Abstract: A transport mechanism for transporting flat documents placed therein on edge uses a horizontal conveyor belt to convey stacks of documents on-edge in a first feeding direction. Tapered rollers with a feeding direction perpendicular to that of the conveyor belt are provided at the end of the conveyor for feeding the documents in a direction perpendicular to the first feeding direction. The use of tapered rollers allows a gradual, rather than sudden, perpendicular velocity to be imparted to the documents, thereby relieving strain on the roller drive mechanism, the rollers themselves, and the documents at high machine throughput speeds. The use of tapered rollers also provides a shingled output of documents, which allows a stripping station down-line from the feeder to strip the documents with fewer misfeeds and less strain.

Abstract: A bin tray is provided for supporting a mail bin which receives documents from a document processing machine. The bin tray is slidable so that it may be stored underneath the table when not in use and is lowerable and removable so as to facilitate access to the underside of the document processing machine. This is accomplished by use of a tray assembly which is removably and rotably attached to two support rods running underneath the table in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of the documents as they enter the bin. The support rods are generally vertically oriented with respect to each other and provide support for a housing containing a slidable bin tray.

Abstract: A mail insertion machine (10) having an elongated insert track (12) with one or more insert dispensing devices (16) with rotary insert feeding mechanisms (22) for depositing inserts at longitudinally-space movable driving members (14) on the insert track includes a power train interconnected between the driving members and each insert dispensing device for driving them in a predetermined phase relationship with a phase-adjustment mechanism for adjusting the phase relationship.

Abstract: A synchronizing circuit includes two switches for synchronizing the feeding of documents of a document feeder to the insert path of an insertion machine which is operative in accordance with a predetermined machine cycle to establish a given level of vacuum in a vacuum lines. The first switch closes in response to a given level of vacuum in the vacuum line and a rotary magnet driven by the insertion machine causes the second switch to close and then open at given machine cycles. The second switch and the first switch are in series with the document feeder; and, the second switch is operative to be closed and be held closed by the rotary magnet so that the document feeder is operative only upon the occurrence of both a given level of vacuum in the vacuum line and the predetermined proximity of the rotary magnet to the second switch.

Abstract: A retractable-ramp accumulator comprises driven endless elastic belts to feed sheets therebetween along a sheet-feeding path, a sheet stacker having a stacking location and including a selectively releasable stop gate, and at least one selectively retractable ramp for selectively deflecting sheets out of the sheet feeding path for selectively feeding under or over previous sheets that are stopped in the stacking location by the stop gate. In one embodiment, an upper and a lower set of ramps are arranged such that while one set of ramps is retracted, the other set of ramps is interposed in the sheet feeding path, so that sheets can be selectively "over" or "under" accumulated.