Relating to postal franking machines

• US 4,746,234 A
• Filed: 02/06/1986
• Issued: 05/24/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Francotyp-Postalia GmbH (Francotyp-Postalia Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Francotyp-Postalia GmbH (Francotyp-Postalia Holding AG)
• Inventors: Harry, Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US06/826,557
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: 400/120, 400/661.3, 101/91
• US Class Current: 400/120.01
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00508 Printing or attaching on mailpieces printing mechanisms B41J; security printing B41M3/14; marking methods B41M5/00; inks C09D11/00; record carriers with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/0054 Thermal printhead

Abstract

Postal franking apparatus in which both semi-permanent and variable information to be printed onto an envelope is stored electrically in a memory and is read out to form printing control signals for controlling a thermal printer containing thermally activable inking means at a printing station into which the envelope is placed. The thermal printer is in the form of an elongate conductive plate having a large plurality of electrical connections along its length to which are fed the printing control signals in synchronized relationship to passage of the envelope, the plate being of sufficiently high resistivity that only localized areas thereof are heated by the currents associated with the control signals, and ink is applied to the envelope only at the heated localities.

Claims

1. as follows:

Postal franking apparatus for franking envelopes and the like of non-uniform thickness comprising;

(a) memory means for storing fixed and variable information to be printed onto an envelope;

(b) means for inputting information to said memory means to change some or all of the information stored therein;

(c) means for reading out information from said memory means to form printing control signals;

(d) a printing station through which an envelope to be franked can be transported;

(e) thermal printing means which includes a source of ink carried by a ribbon means and applied to the thermal printing means; and

(f) means for supplying the printing control signals to said thermal printing means;

wherein

(g) a rotatable backing device confronting said thermal printing means to form together therewith a driving nip between which an envelope passes during printing, said backing device being a driven backing roller engaging said envelope and having a resilient deformability in a direction perpendicular to the surface of said envelope, said deformability varying differentially at discrete intervals along a line perpendicular to the direction of transport of the envelope;

wherein

(h) both the fixed and variable information being printed by thermal printing means which comprises a flexible, resilient plate of thermally and electrically insulating material fixedly mounted at said printing station, said plate being elongate in a direction transverse to the direction of transport of the envelope through said printing station and bearing a continuous elongated longitudinal conductive track to which a large plurality of electrical connections are made along the length thereof, and said supplying means comprises means for supplying electrical currents to a selected combination of discrete positions along the track corresponding to selected ones of the connections, the combination of current-supplied positions varying in predetermined relationshp to the transport of the envelope, the track being of a high resistivity such that the current-supplied positions along the track and hence the ink are locally heated and ink which is contiguous with the elongated conductive track is deposited onto the envelope only at a said heated localities, thereby to frank the envelope with both fixed and variable information.

2. A postal franking apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the printing means acts to heat an ink-bearing ribbon wherein the ink is adapted to melt to change its phase from a solid into a vapour phase on being heated.

3. Postal franking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a re-usable endless loop of ribbon material is employed, and means is provided for removing surplus ink from the ribbon after passing the station printing and before the relevant region of ribbon is returned to an ink loading means.

4. Postal franking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the printing means acts to heat an ink-bearing ribbon wherein the ink is adapted to melt and form a liquid on being heated.

5. Postal franking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thermal printing means acts to effect activation of an inked activible ribbon in order to effect franking.

6. Postal franking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thermal printing element is flexible, so as to be deformable along its length dimension to accommodate uneveness in the surface to be printed.

7. A postal franking apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the printing means acts to heat an ink-bearing ribbon wherein the ink is adapted to melt to change its phase from a liquid into a vapour phase on being heated.

8. Postal franking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the backing device comprises a plurality of separate but axially touching discs or annuli of resiliently deformable material mounted as a unitary cylindrical member on a shaft, for rotation.

9. Postal franking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information inputting means includes a keyboard also usable to select from the stored information that variable information which is to be printed on a particular envelope.