Abstract: An envelope stripping apparatus is disclosed for opening and holding open the flaps of envelopes or mail processed in a mailing machine or other envelope-processing machine. The flaps of the envelopes are held down against a vacuum plenum during transport of the envelope. The envelopes are fed along the feeding path towards a moistening device while the flap is stripped and held by the vacuum plenum. An arrangement of the plenum apertures is such that stiffer portions of the flaps have more vacuum applied than those that are of lesser area, or at the extreme end of the flap. A second arrangement of the envelope flaps will cause additional holding of the end of the flap if it is a larger envelope with a greater area at the end such as a square flap.

Abstract: A system and method for managing overflow of moistening fluid in a mailing machine is provided. An overflow pipe is provided in the reservoir, positioned over a sump located beneath the reservoir. The top of the overflow pipe in the reservoir is located slightly above the moistening fluid normal operating level in the reservoir. In the event the level of the moistening fluid rises above the normal operating level to a point above the top of the overflow pipe, the moistening fluid will flow through the overflow pipe and into the sump. The sump contains an absorbent material to absorb any moistening fluid that flows into the sump, thereby preventing the moistening fluid from sloshing out of the sump if the mailing machine is moved. The moistening fluid absorbed by the absorbent material will eventually evaporate, thereby preventing any leakage of the moistening fluid from the mailing machine.

Abstract: A system and method for managing overflow of moistening fluid in a mailing machine is provided. An overflow pipe is provided in the reservoir, positioned over a sump located beneath the reservoir. The top of the overflow pipe in the reservoir is located slightly above the moistening fluid normal operating level in the reservoir. In the event the level of the moistening fluid rises above the normal operating level to a point above the top of the overflow pipe, the moistening fluid will flow through the overflow pipe and into the sump. The sump contains an absorbent material to absorb any moistening fluid that flows into the sump, thereby preventing the moistening fluid from sloshing out of the sump if the mailing machine is moved. The moistening fluid absorbed by the absorbent material will eventually evaporate, thereby preventing any leakage of the moistening fluid from the mailing machine.

Abstract: The present invention includes apparatus and methods for guiding a mail piece traversing a mailing machine. A multi-ski guide can include an inner ski with one or more contact bumps positioned to engage a mail piece prior to its edge encountering a stripper blade. The multi-ski guide can be attached to a take away idler shaft located just prior to the stripping blade. A spring can provide a normal force holding the multi-ski guide down onto the top of the stripping blade. The multi-ski guide can contact the stripping blade with a contact bump. In addition, one or more inner skis can include mail piece guiding contact bumps. Idler segments can be interspersed between the skis included in the multi-ski guide such that the idler segments can guide and straighten a mail piece approaching the stripper blade.

Abstract: The present invention includes apparatus and methods for guiding a mail piece traversing a mailing machine. A multi-ski guide can include an inner ski with one or more contact bumps positioned to engage a mail piece prior to its edge encountering a stripper blade. The multi-ski guide can be attached to a take away idler shaft located just prior to the stripping blade. A spring can provide a normal force holding the multi-ski guide down onto the top of the stripping blade. The multi-ski guide can contact the stripping blade with a contact bump. In addition, one or more inner skis can include mail piece guiding contact bumps. Idler segments can be interspersed between the skis included in the multi-ski guide such that the idler segments can guide and straighten a mail piece approaching the stripper blade.

Abstract: An envelope stripping apparatus is disclosed for opening and holding open the flaps of envelopes or mail processed in a mailing machine or other envelope-processing machine. The flaps of the envelopes are held down against a vacuum plenum during transport of the envelope. The envelopes are fed along the feeding path towards a moistening device while the flap is stripped and held by the vacuum plenum. An arrangement of the plenum apertures is such that stiffer portions of the flaps have more vacuum applied than those that are of lesser area, or at the extreme end of the flap. A second arrangement of the envelope flaps will cause additional holding of the end of the flap if it is a larger envelope with a greater area at the end such as a square flap.

Abstract: An envelope stripping apparatus is disclosed for opening and holding open the flaps of envelopes or mail processed in a mailing machine or other envelope-processing machine. The flaps of the envelopes are held down against a vacuum plenum during transport of the envelope. The envelopes are fed along the feeding path towards a moistening device while the flap is stripped and held by the vacuum plenum. An arrangement of the plenum apertures is such that stiffer portions of the flaps have more vacuum applied than those that are of lesser area, or at the extreme end of the flap. A second arrangement of the envelope flaps will cause additional holding of the end of the flap if it is a larger envelope with a greater area at the end such as a square flap.

Abstract: An envelope stripping apparatus is disclosed for opening and holding open the flaps of envelopes or mail processed in a mailing machine or other envelope-processing machine. The flaps of the envelopes are held down against a vacuum plenum during transport of the envelope. The envelopes are fed along the feeding path towards a moistening device while the flap is stripped and held by the vacuum plenum. An arrangement of the plenum apertures is such that stiffer portions of the flaps have more vacuum applied than those that are of lesser area, or at the extreme end of the flap. A second arrangement of the envelope flaps will cause additional holding of the end of the flap if it is a larger envelope with a greater area at the end such as a square flap.

Abstract: A singulator apparatus includes a forwardly driving device and a reverse driving mechanism which operate together to separate individual articles from a stack of articles being transported thereto from an upstream feeding device. The singulator further includes a sensor which detects the presence of articles at the articles ingestion nip defined between the forwardly driving device and the reverse driving mechanism. A controller stops operation of the feeding device upon detection of the presence of articles by the sensor and initiate feeding by the feeding device if no articles are sensed by the sensor.

Abstract: A nudger including apparatus for applying a feed force to a lead mailpiece of the stack of mixed mail to feed the lead mailpiece of the stack along a mailpiece feed path, the applying apparatus being moveable between first and second positions; structure for biasing the applying apparatus against a face of the lead mailpiece thereby generating a stack force against a stack of mixed mail; and a stack advance mechanism for moving the stack of mixed mail so that the face of the lead mailpiece contacts the applying apparatus; wherein at times when the applying apparatus is in the first position the stack advance mechanism moves the stack of mixed mail in the direction of the applying apparatus causing the applying apparatus to move from the first position to the second position against the biasing structure such that the stack force increases causing a corresponding increase in the feed force; and further wherein at times when the applying apparatus is in the second position the stack advance mechanism stops movi

Abstract: A vacuum cleaner with a floor traveling head having a housing, a rotatable brush, and two motors. The housing has a suction inlet with an entrance at its bottom and a separate pocket in the bottom of the housing for the rotatable brush. A wall of the housing separates the pocket from the suction inlet such that the entrance to the suction inlet has a relatively small area to maximize vacuum pull at the entrance. The suction inlet has a lower section with straight wall sections that are angled to form smaller areas at the lateral ends of the suction inlet. The suction inlet has an exit aperture directly into a collection assembly such that air velocity increases from the lower section to the upper section and then decreases from the upper section into the collection assembly.

Abstract: A system for decurling a sheet which is being advanced in a predetermined path within a printing machine includes a mechanism for generating a flow of room ambient air. The decurling system further includes a mechanism for directing the flow of room ambient air onto the sheet. Moreover, the decurling system includes a decurler adapted to apply mechanical force to the sheet after the flow of room ambient air has been directed onto the sheet by the directing mechanism. Finally, a mechanism is included for rotating the sheet to advance the sheet to the decurler in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction of the predetermined path.

Abstract: A composite friction feed roll includes one material which feeds fresh paper well and another material which reliably feeds paper which has passed through fusing and has oil on its imaged surface. Such a roll will feed deplex and fresh paper or inserts equally reliably. Suitable material combinations would be silicone rubber which handles fused copies with ease, but has limited life feeding fresh or virgin paper because it collects fibers from fresh paper, and isoprene which is long lived handling fresh paper, but is rapidly contaminated by fuser oil. In the steady state condition, silicone regions will be primarily active in feeding duplexed paper while the isoprene oil contaminated, while in the plain paper feeding case, isoprene regions will be primarily responsible for feeding while the silicone becomes paper debris contaminated.

Abstract: An apparatus for decurling a sheet is disclosed. The apparatus includes a decurler shaft and a first belt positionable to contact an arcuate portion of the decurler shaft. The apparatus further includes a second belt positionable to cantact the first belt and to bend around the arcuate portion of the decurler shaft. Moreover, the apparatus includes a mechanism for advancing the sheet between the first belt and the second belt so as to bend the sheet around the arcuate portion of the decurler shaft.

Abstract: A document imaging system is compensated for distortion caused by non-planarity in the documents by providing a positive lens with varying power at a location beneath the document platen. In a preferred embodiment, an aspheric fresnel lens is used as the compensating optical element.

Abstract: A sheet feeding and separating apparatus includes a multiple piece entrance guide located between a stack from which sheets are to be fed and a retard nip. The guide includes a polycarbonate base member and a high friction urethane retard member. The urethane is ground on the leading edge to an exact angle to promote shingling of sheets and the breaking up of slugs prior to entering the retard nip.

Abstract: A dual purpose tri-roll inverter is disclosed as part of the normal paper path of a copier and has the capability of taking a sheet into the input side of tri-roll input/output members and continue feeding the sheet by the use of reversible rolls through an out of a channel portion of the inverter for further processing. Alternatively, when reversing of the sheet is required for duplexing, the reversible rolls are reversed by a reverse drive mechanism to propel the sheet while it is still in the inverter back toward the output side of the tri-rolls.

Abstract: A retard feeder and separator apparatus adapted to sense the threat of a misfeed or multifeed and adjust the stack normal force of a feed belt against a stack of sheets accordingly. The apparatus includes a movable frame on which is mounted a sheet separating feed belt, a retard roll that forms a retard nip with the separating feed belt, and a stack force relief sensor. The sensor detects the lead edge of a sheet fed from a stack as it reaches the retard nip and causes a solenoid connected to the frame to trigger and move the frame slightly. The frame movement relieves the stack normal force of the feed belt against the stack from a high value to a low value while the sheet continues to be fed from the stack by the force in the retard nip and the lessened stack normal force. Alternatively, if the sensor does not sense a sheet within a predetermined period of time, the stack normal force will be increased to the original high value.