Patents by Inventor Carl R. Chapman
Carl R. Chapman has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 7666129Abstract: A method and apparatus for folding inserts by inverting the insert sheet after the first fold is made and reintroducing the folded insert sheet into a first buckle chute from the opposite end. The second fold is then made in a second buckle chute which results in either a bottom address or a middle address appearing on the folded insert in a manner that the address will appear through the window of the envelope.Type: GrantFiled: April 13, 2007Date of Patent: February 23, 2010Assignee: Pitney Bowes Inc.Inventors: Thomas M. Lyga, James A. Fairweather, David J. Eaton, Carl R. Chapman
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Patent number: 7591454Abstract: A materials handling system includes a feeder station having a plurality of material feeders and an insertion subsystem. Each of the plurality of feeders are connected to a common material transport path. A first material transport path is connected to the common material transport path and to the insertion subsystem. A second material transport path is connected to the common material transport path and to the insertion subsystem. A third material transport path is connected to the first material transport path and to said insertion subsystem. The second material transport path may include a materials processing subsystem such as a folder subsystem. The common materials transport may include a pre-fold accumulator transport having a pre-fold accumulator gate. A first diverter may be provided to selectively divert materials being transported by the pre-fold accumulator transport to the first or to the second material transport.Type: GrantFiled: March 18, 2005Date of Patent: September 22, 2009Assignee: Pitney Bowes Inc.Inventors: Carl R. Chapman, James A. Fairweather, Thomas M. Lyga
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Patent number: 7427059Abstract: A materials handling system includes an insertion subsystem for inserting materials into envelopes to form mailpieces of a first type and mailpieces of a second type. The materials handling syatem also includes a first mailpiece transport path located downstream from the insertion subsystem and having a curved portion along which mailpieces of said first type are transported, and a second mailpiece transport path being substantially horizontal, located downstream from the insertion subsystem, and along which mailpieces of the second type are transported. Further, a diverter is included that diverts mailpieces of the first type to the first transport path and mailpieces of the second type to the second transport path.Type: GrantFiled: March 18, 2005Date of Patent: September 23, 2008Assignee: Pitney Bowes Inc.Inventors: Thomas M. Lyga, Carl R. Chapman
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Patent number: 6860955Abstract: A process for performing a plurality of operations on an elongate element, in particular an envelope (60) in a folder-inserter machine, which operations, such as flapping (44, 47), inserting, moistening and sealing, are carried out at spaced-apart locations. The process enables various different lengths of envelope to be employed, without the need to adjust any of the mechanisms. This is achieved by feeding an envelope into the inserter unflapped and with its crease line trailing. A datum position for the crease line is determined following sensing (96), and all the distances the envelope needs to be moved for the various operations, which may in practice be closely associated with that crease line, measured from that datum position. Irrespective of the lengths of the envelopes processed, the drive means (43) moving them from one particular operation location to the next then needs to be operated for the same time.Type: GrantFiled: December 14, 2001Date of Patent: March 1, 2005Assignee: Pitney Bowes Ltd.Inventor: Carl R Chapman
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Patent number: 6843884Abstract: A moistener for applying liquid to an envelope, for use in sealing the latter, comprises a liquid storage tank (70a, 70b) and means, such as wicks (71) for transporting the liquid to the envelope (not shown). The level of liquid in the tank is visible to a user through a window (73). In use of the moistener it is fully inserted into a housing (not shown) but with the window visible to the user. Partial removal of the moistener from the housing permits the tank to be filled with liquid via an opening (76).Type: GrantFiled: December 17, 2001Date of Patent: January 18, 2005Assignee: Pitney Bowes Ltd.Inventors: Carl R. Chapman, Joan T. Doutney, Charles W. Klein, Cormac O'Prey, Barry Simkins, Peter Watson
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Patent number: 6790303Abstract: 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.Type: GrantFiled: December 17, 2001Date of Patent: September 14, 2004Assignee: Pitney Bowes Ltd.Inventors: Robert J. Allen, Carl R Chapman, David K Halden, Thomas M Lyga, Michael Roche
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Patent number: 6648319Abstract: Sheet collation apparatus is disclosed in which an initial sheet (A1) from a sheet feeder (4) is advanced to a collation station (10), reversed into an accumulation station (8) and then returned to the collation station where it is collated with the next sheet (A2) from the sheet feeder. This process may be repeated any number of times to form a collation of sheets of any required number.Type: GrantFiled: December 14, 2001Date of Patent: November 18, 2003Assignee: Pitney Bowes Inc.Inventor: Carl R. Chapman
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Publication number: 20030111787Abstract: Sheet collation apparatus is disclosed in which an initial sheet (A1) from a sheet feeder (4) is advanced to a collation station (10), reversed into an accumulation station (8) and then returned to the collation station where it is collated with the next sheet (A2) from the sheet feeder. This process may be repeated any number of times to form a collation of sheets of any required number.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 14, 2001Publication date: June 19, 2003Inventor: Carl R. Chapman
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Publication number: 20030111164Abstract: A process for performing a plurality of operations on an elongate element, in particular an envelope (60) in a folder-inserter machine, which operations, such as flapping (44, 47), inserting, moistening and sealing, are carried out at spaced-apart locations. The process enables various different lengths of envelope to be employed, without the need to adjust any of the mechanisms. This is achieved by feeding an envelope into the inserter unflapped and with its crease line trailing. A datum position for the crease line is determined following sensing (96), and all the distances the envelope needs to be moved for the various operations, which may in practice be closely associated with that crease line, measured from that datum position. Irrespective of the lengths of the envelopes processed, the drive means (43) moving them from one particular operation location to the next then needs to be operated for the same time.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 14, 2001Publication date: June 19, 2003Inventor: Carl R. Chapman
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Publication number: 20030111182Abstract: A moistener for applying liquid to an envelope, for use in sealing the latter, comprises a liquid storage tank (70a, 70b) and means, such as wicks (71) for transporting the liquid to the envelope (not shown). The level of liquid in the tank is visible to a user through a window (73). In use of the moistener it is fully inserted into a housing (not shown) but with the window visible to the user. Partial removal of the moistener from the housing permits the tank to be filled with liquid via an opening (76).Type: ApplicationFiled: December 17, 2001Publication date: June 19, 2003Inventors: Carl R. Chapman, Joan T. Doutney, Charles W. Klein, Cormac N. O'Prey, Barry W. Simkins, Peter J. Watson
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Publication number: 20030111165Abstract: 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.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 17, 2001Publication date: June 19, 2003Inventors: Robert J. Allen, Carl R. Chapman, David K. Halden, Thomas M. Lyga, Michael Roche
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Patent number: 5260757Abstract: A laser printer has a circulating photoreceptor belt 20 and a transfer station 4 at which toner images are transferred from the belt to copy sheets. Each copy sheet is registered, upstream of the transfer station 4, in the nip of registration rolls 12 before being fed to the transfer station. The copy sheet is fed to the registration rolls 12 (which at that time are stationary) by feed rolls 13, 14 which continue to rotate so that a buckle is formed in the sheet to assist in removing any de-skew. When the sheet has been registered, the registration rolls 12 are rotated and, initially, are accelerated to a speed about 20% greater than the normal operating speed. That has the effect of decreasing the amount of buckle in the sheet before the trail end of the sheet reaches the registration rolls. When the buckle has been reduced, the speed of the rolls is reduced to the normal operating level, which is typically about the same as the speed of the photoreceptor belt.Type: GrantFiled: September 2, 1992Date of Patent: November 9, 1993Assignee: Xerox CorporationInventors: Nicholas Frank, Carl R. Chapman