Inserter station for envelope inserting

• US 5,125,214 A
• Filed: 05/29/1991
• Issued: 06/30/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bowe Bell & Howell Company
• Original Assignee: Bell & Howell LLC (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Nyffenegger, David P., Belec, Eric A., Hawkes, Richard B., Noll, Harry C. Jr., Lee, James S. Jr., Fallos, George, Orsinger, Winston A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coan, James F.
• Application Number:
  US07/707,328
• Time in Patent Office: 398 Days
• Field of Search: 53/284.3, 53/569, 53/381.6, 53/460, 53/468, 271/269, 271/267
• US Class Current: 53/460
• CPC Class Codes: B43M 3/045 for envelopes with only one flap
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/02 indicating an entity which is controlled, adjusted or changed by a control process, i.e. output
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/11 indicating that the input or output entities exclusively relate to machine elements
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/212 Rotary position
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2513/40 Movement
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 29/40 Members rotated about an axis perpendicular to direction of article movement, e.g. star-wheels formed by S-shaped members
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 31/06 the articles being piled on edge
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 33/06 by displacing articles to define batches

Abstract

An inserter station for inserting inserts into envelopes comprises an insert conveyor for conveying inserts to an inserting location, a gripper drum for delivering envelopes to the inserting location, vacuum means for holding bottom surfaces of envelopes, suction cups for lifting top sides and opening envelopes, and an insert pusher for pushing inserts into opened envelopes. The insert pusher moves along a noose-shaped path in a vertical plane. The path has a horizontal, forwardly-directed portion along which the pusher moves to engage and push inserts into evelopes. The path has a retracting portion that curves downwardly and backwardly out of the way of envelopes and inserts being provided to the inserting location. In operation, an envelope is delivered to the inserting location and has its bottom surface held by vacuum applied thereto. The top side of the envelope is lifted by suction cups so that the envelope is opened to receive inserts. Inserts that are conveyed toward the inserting location are engaged at their trailing edges by the insert pusher and are pushed into the opened envelope.

Claims

1. A method for inserting inserts into envelopes in an inserter station, comprising the steps of:

conveying inserts toward an inserting location;

delivering envelopes to said inserting location;

holding the bottom face of an envelope while the envelope is disposed in said inserting location;

lifting the top side of an envelope during the step of holding and thereby opening the envelope;

engaging trailing edges of inserts by an insert pusher;

pushing inserts by said insert pusher into an envelope that has been opened in the step of lifting and,

moving said insert pusher along a reciprocating translational path in a vertical plane, the step of moving including the following steps in the following order;

forwardly moving said insert pusher substantially horizontally,

backwardly translating said insert pusher at first substantially horizontally and thereafter downwardly and thereafter substantially horizontally, and,

upwardly, moving said insert pusher to lead into said step of forwardly moving;

wherein the step of pushing is effected during the step of forwardly moving.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of lifting includes the step of selectively valving vacuum to at least one suction cup, said suction cup being operative in attracting the top side of an envelope.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of holding includes a step of selectively applying vacuum to the bottom face of an envelope for selectively holding and releasing the envelopes at said inserting location.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of conveying is effected by a pusher-pin conveyor.

5. A method of claim 1, wherein the step of backwardly translating includes the step of providing clearance between said insert pusher and inserts being conveyed to said inserting location during the step of conveying.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of backwardly translating includes the step of providing clearance between said insert pusher and envelopes being delivered to said inserting location during the step of delivering.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

stopping envelopes in proper registration in said inserting location; and

,

transporting insert-filled envelopes from said inserting location to further equipment.

8. The method according to claim 1, further including the step of synchronizing the steps of claim 1, so that an envelope is delivered to said inserting location prior to the step of pushing inserts into an envelope.

9. An inserter station for inserting of inserts into envelopes, comprising:

an inserting location;

means for conveying inserts to said inserting location, said means for conveying including a top plate along and upon which inserts are conveyed to said inserting location;

gripper drum means for delivering envelopes to said inserting location, said gripper drum means including a rotatable gripper drum having a periphery upon which envelopes are carried and delivered to said inserting location, said periphery being disposed proximally to said inserting location, said gripper drum means including means for holding the bottom face of an envelope while the envelope is disposed in said inserting location;

means for lifting open the top side of an envelope while the envelope is disposed in said inserting location, said means for lifting being cooperative with said means for holding to open an envelope for insertion of inserts;

means for guiding inserts for insertion into the envelopes while envelopes are disposed in said inserting location, said means for guiding including fingers that are selectively rotatable into opened envelopes in said inserting location; and

,

insert pusher means for pushing inserts between said fingers into opened envelopes disposed in said inserting location, said insert pusher means including at least one driven pusher having an irrotationally translatable insert-engaging face, said at least one driven pusher being translationally driven so that said insert-engaging face moves from a retracted position beneath said top plate to a forward position above said top plate.

10. The inserter station according to claim 9, wherein said means for lifting includes suction cup means for engaging, lifting, holding, and releasing the top side of an envelope by action of vacuum selectively valved thereto while the envelope is disposed in said inserting location.

11. The inserter station according to claim 9, wherein said means for holding includes vacuum means for selectively holding and releasing envelopes to and from said periphery, respectively, while envelopes are disposed in said inserting location.

12. The inserter station according to claim 9, wherein said means for holding is operative to hold envelopes upon said periphery during the carrying and delivery of envelopes thereupon to said inserting location.

13. The inserter station according to claim 9, wherein said means for conveying includes a pusher-pin conveyor.

14. The inserter station according to claim 9, further including means for translating said insert-engaging face reciprocatingly in a substantially vertical plane along translational path substantially horizontally when moving away from and toward said inserting location.

15. The inserter station according to claim 9, further comprising:

stop fingers selectively interposable into the path of envelopes in said inserting location for stopping envelopes in proper registration for inserting with inserts in said inserting location; and

,

a conveyor belt arrangement for transporting insert-filled envelopes from said inserting location to further equipment.

16. An inserter station for inserting inserts into envelopes, comprising:

an inserting location;

means for conveying inserts toward said inserting location;

means for delivering envelopes to said inserting location; and

,

means for pushing inserts into envelopes including a pusher for engaging trailing edges of inserts and for moving inserts thereby into opened envelopes that are disposed in said inserting location;

wherein said means for pushing includes means for reciprocatingly moving said pusher irrotationally along a translational path in a substantially vertical plane, said path being defined as having;

a substantially horizontal forward portion of motion directed toward said inserting location;

a backward-retraction portion of motion that begins substantially horizontally and thereafter monotonically curves downwardly beneath said horizontal forward portion of motion; and

,

an upwardly recurved portion of motion leading into said horizontal forward portion of motion;

whereby inserts are engaged and pushed forward toward and into opened envelopes during said horizontal forward portion of motion, said pusher disengaging from inserts at the start of said backward retraction portion of motion, and whereby, during said backward-retraction portion of motion, said pusher descends out of the way of next inserts that are being conveyed toward said inserting location.