Document reading envelope depository

Abstract

Abstract The entrance to the depository has a deposit item thickness sensor (20) just inside of the deposit gate opening which can detect the difference between a thicker envelope deposit item and a thinner single sheet of paper. A computer (9) is responsive to signals from the thickness sensor (20) to control a deflector (41) which permits envelopes to pass directly through to a sequential stacking deposit bin. Alternately, the thickness sensor (20) causes the computer (9) to control the deflector (41) to divert a single sheet of paper into a read leg of the bifurcated transport. After entering the read path (61, 63-81), document alignment rolls (121, 125) placed at a slight angle to the direction of document travel tend to move the document toward a registration edge before the document passes the read head (131). After passing the read head (131), the document returns to the common transport at a point just past the thickness sensor and traveling in the same direction as it traveled when first inserted. This permits the document to be recirculated in the event that the document was not adequately aligned for good reading. As the document is recirculated, additional aligning is provided by the alignment rolls until the document has been moved all the way against the registration edge and proper reading can be accomplished.

Inventors

• 👤 Dale Darwin Decker
• 👤 Mary Emory Stanhope

Bibliographic Details