Abstract: A buffered stacking system for selectively diverting horizontally disposed documents from a generally horizontal main conveying path, stacking the documents in a horizontal orientation and dropping the documents into replaceable receiving receptacles is provided. The system has a primary horizontal conveyor belt with a lower horizontal reach defining a horizontal primary conveying path. A plurality of sorting stations are located serially along and below the primary conveying path. Each of the sorting stations has at least one diverter arm disposed along the conveying path. The diverter arms are selectively movable from a generally horizontal position which allows passage of the documents along the conveying path to an inclined position to divert the document into the corresponding sorting station. The diverter arms divert the document in a downwardly inclined direction into a stacking station.

Abstract: A labeling assembly for applying labels carried on a substrate to a sequential series of moving documents is provided. The assembly transports the document in a generally vertical end on end orientation down a conveying path and peels the label from the substrate to position the peeled label in a generally vertical orientation. The labeling assembly also includes a paddle having a front surface with vacuum ports for attaching and releasably retaining the peeled label on the front surface. An actuating mechanism pivots the paddle to force an end of the retained label into contact with the document. Upon contact, the downstream end of the retained label adheres to the document and the label is pulled off the paddle. As the label is pulled off the paddle the contact between the end of the paddle presses the label against the document.

Abstract: A buffered stacking apparatus selectively diverts horizontally disposed documents from a main conveying path, then stacks and transports the documents to replaceable receiving receptacles. The apparatus has a primary horizontal conveyor belt with a lower reach defining a horizontal primary conveying path and at least one secondary conveyor belt having an upper reach which, when the secondary conveyor belt is in a horizontal position, is disposed in a lower juxtaposed relation to the lower reach of the primary conveying belt. The buffered stacking system also selectively effects pivotal movement of the secondary conveyor belt from the horizontal position to a second inclined position wherein the reach of the secondary belt is inclined to the lower reach of the primary conveyor belt. Documents being transported along the primary conveying path are diverted along the inclined reach when the secondary conveying belt is inclined.

Abstract: Apparatus for shingling a plurality of documents disposed in stacked relation so that the stack extends successively from a first end to a second end, and has at least one boundary defined by substantially coplanar marginal edges of the documents. The stack of documents is conveyed along a predetermined path during which one or more rotatable shingling members engage the coplanar marginal edges of the documents and impart velocity components of progressively increasing magnitude to the marginal edges in a manner to effect movement of the documents into a shingled array. In the preferred embodiments, the rotatable shingling member has a conical shingling surface traversed by the documents in tangential relation so that the velocity components imparted to the marginal edges of the documents lie in the planes of the documents and move them laterally in shingled relation to each other.

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 document processing system for performing multiple document processing tasks while the documents travel in a straight line document path is provided. The document processing system may include a transport system for transporting the documents in a straight line path, a sensing system for sensing the presence of the document, an optical system for projecting the image of the document, a camera module for receiving the projected image and storing it onto film, a film marking system for placing blips on the film adjacent the document image, a film numbering system for placing alphanumeric characters on the film adjacent the document image, an endorsing system for placing a printed endorsement on one side of the document, an electro-optical scanning system for scanning the image of the document processing the signal into a bit mapped image or for use with external communications devices, scanning for bar code symbology, and imprinting characters on the documents.

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: An apparatus for separating and advancing documents includes a first assembly having movable belts for frictionally engaging and advancing one of the documents along a path, and a second assembly having stationary belts and retrogressingly moving a portion of an endless belt along the path to frictionally engage and halt the remainder of the documents. The retrogressional movement of the endless belt distributing wear experienced by the engaging and halting of documents over the length of the endless belt. The movable belts of the first assembly and the belts of the second assembly are disposed in relative juxtaposition whereby the one document is gripped between the first assembly and second assembly and advanced along the path under the influence of the first assembly.

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: Sheets or sets of sheets are turned very rapidly and reliably, especially after the cutting of endless stationery, conveyed further in a different transport direction and separated in that the leading edge of each sheet is taken to a diagonal bending slot (33) via which a corner of each sheet first reaches an output slot (49).

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: An insertion station for a mail-handling machine includes a driving lever 25 and a means for swivelling the driving lever 25 back-and-forth according to an operating cycle. Axle members 18, 19 have a cam 20 mounted therebetween and a spring 26 extends between the driving lever 25 and the cam. A base plate 1 includes grooves 2, 3, 4 and finger-roller guides 28 have front and rear ends mounted above the base plate. Insertion ramps 35, 36, 37 are located below the rear ends of the finger-roller guides; and, inserting arm means 8, 9, 10 and 14, 15, 16 have fingers 5, 6, 7 and finger rollers 27, 38, 39 attached thereto.

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 document processing system includes a feed magazine for supporting a stack of flat documents in generally upstanding on-edge relation and advancing the documents along a feed path with the documents disposed generally transverse to the feed path, a feeder assembly including feeder belts defining at least one belt run for engaging the leading document in the stack and feeding the leading document in a direction generally transverse to the feed path, and a document sensing and control apparatus for sensing the pressure exerted by documents against the sensing control apparatus and the document feed magazine, and controlling the speed of the advance of documents on the feed magazine as a function of the pressure. The greater the pressure exerted by the documents, the slower the feed magazine will advance documents to the feeder.