Apparatus for inserting items into an enclosure

Claim 1

Apparatus for inserting inserts into an enclosure having upper and lower surfaces, side and bottom edges and an insertion orifice, such as a letter envelope, bag or the like, wherein the insertion station comprises: suction belts for conveying the enclosure in the direction of travel into the insertion position in timed movement according to the speed of the apparatus; movable aligning cams for correctly registering the enclosure moveable into the path of travel of the enclosure to engage the bottom edge thereof; means for moving said movable aligning cams comprising a cam moveable in timed relation to the speed of said apparatus and a cam follower engaging said cam and operatively connected to said alinging cams; biasing means normally biasing said alinging cams out of the direction of travel of the enclosure; a bottom stationary suction and insertion plate and a plurality of top vertically moveable vacuum devices disposed in the insertion zone of the insertion station upstream of said aligning cams and operating in timed relation to the speed of the apparatus to engage the enclosure by vacuum near the insertion orifice of the enclosure and open the same; laterally arranged insertion guides in the form of channel-like funnels the open ends of which face each other, said insertion guides being rotatable so as to extend into the enclosure insertion orifice at the lateral inside edges thereof in timed movement according to the speed of the apparatus; continuously-moving top and bottom conveyor belts which receive the inserts in the direction of movement thereof and convey them into the enclosure, each of said conveyor belts having a reversing roller and being disposed with the reversing roller positioned immediately before the insertion orifice of the enclosure to be filled; and a segmental roller, driven in timed movement with the speed of the apparatus, cooperating with a backing roller and conveying rollers to continue conveyance of the filled enclosure.