Insertion machine

Abstract

Abstract A SELECTIVE INSERTION MACHINE HAS A FIRST DOCUMENT FEEDER FOR DELIVERING MAIN DOCUMENTS ONTO A FIRST PORTION OF AN INSERTION TRACK AT THE RATE OF AT LEAST ONE SUCH MAIN DOCUMENT FOR EACH MACHINE CYCLE. A SECOND DOCUMENT FEEDER CONTAINS SETS OF SUBORDINATE DOCUMENTS WHEREIN EACH SET IS ASSOCIATED WITH A GIVEN MAIN DOCUMENT. THE SECOND DOCUMENT FEEDER OPERATES AT A HIGH SPEED SO AS TO FEED AN ENTIRE SET OF SUBORDINATE DOCUMENTS DURING A GIVEN MACHINE CYCLE AND PLACE THAT SET ON THE INSERT TRACK WITH THE PREVIOUSLY FED ASSOCIATED MAIN DOCUMENT. THE MAIN DOCUMENTS CONTAIN COUNT INDICIA REPRESENTATIVE OF THE NUMBER OF ASSOCIATED SUBORDINATE DOCUMENTS THAT ARE TO BE SUBSEQUENTLY FED BY THE HIGH SPEED FEEDER. THESE INDICIA ARE SENSED ALONG WITH CONTROL INDICIA AND REPRESENTATIVE COUNT AND CONTROL SIGNALS ARE GENERATED. THE ASSOCIATED SUBORDINATE DOCUMENTS ARE THEN COUNTED AS THEY ARE FED FROM THE HIGH SPEED FEED AND A COMPARATOR COMPARES THE TWO COUNTS TO GENERATE AN ERROR SIGNAL IF THEY DIFFER. A SECOND PORTION OF THE INSERT TRACK TAKES EACH GROUP OF MAIN AND ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTS PAST INSERTION STATIONS WHICH SELECTIVELY INSERT ADDITIONAL MATERIAL WITH EACH GROUP IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONTROL SIGNALS GENERATED IN RESPONSE TO THE CONTROL INDICIA ON THE MAIN DOCUMENTS. THE INSERTION TRACK THEN MOVES THE THUSLY FORMED GROUPS PAST BOTH A DEVICE FOR SELECTIVELY STUFFING EACH GROUP INTO ENVELOPES AND A SEALING STATION WHERE THE ENVELOPES ARE SELECTIVELY SEALED. NEXT, THE SECOND PORTION OF THE INSERT TRACK MOVES THE STUFFED ENVELOPES PAST AN ERROR STACKING STATION, A HOLD STACKING STATION, AND AN OVERWEIGHT STACKING STATION. THE ERROR STACKER IS OPERATIVE IN RESPONSE TO AN ERROR SIGNAL FROM THE COMPARATOR TO REMOVE STUFFED ENVELOES FROM THE INSERT TRACK. THE HOLD STACKER IS OPERATIVE TO REMOVE SELECTED ENVELOPES FROM THE INSERT TRACK IN RESPONSE TO CONTROL SIGNALS DERIVED FROM THAT ENVELOPE''S MAIN DOCUMENT. THE OVERWEIGHT STACKER IS OPERATIVE TO REMOVE SELECTED ENVELOPES FROM THE INSERT TRACK WHEN THEY WEIGH MORE THAN A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT. THOSE DOCUMENTS WHICH SUCCESSFULLY PASS THE STACKING STATIONS ARE DELIVERED TO A POSTAGE METER.

Inventors

• 👤 Eugene Sather
• 👤 Lester H Stocker
• 👤 Kenneth A Hams

Bibliographic Details