Mailing machine including skewed sheet detection means

• US 5,331,576 A
• Filed: 02/25/1992
• Issued: 07/19/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Original Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Nobile, John R., Pfeifer, Thomas M., Gallagher, Dennis M., Eckert, Alton B. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cosimano, Edward R.
• Application Number:
  US07/841,915
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• Field of Search: 271/227, 271/233, 271/256, 271/258, 364/550, 364/559
• US Class Current: 700/302
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/01 indicating an entity as a function of which control, adjustment or change is performed, i.e. input
• 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 2220/03 indicating an entity which is measured, estimated, evaluated, calculated or determined but which does not constitute an entity which is adjusted or changed by the control process per se
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/20 Location in space
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/414 of mode of operation
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/51 Presence
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2513/512 Starting; Stopping
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2513/52 Age; Duration; Life time or chronology of event
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2557/23 Recording or storing data
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 7/06 responsive to presence of faulty articles or incorrect separation or feed B65H7/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00467 Transporting mailpieces postal sorting B07C
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/00661 Sensing or measuring mailpieces weighing G01G19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00669 Sensing the position of mailpieces

Abstract

A mailing machine base comprising, structure for a direction of the path of travel and feeding a sheet in a path of travel, a fence defining against which the an edge of a sheet is normally registered for alignment therewith and thus in the direction of the path of travel, structure for controlling the sheet feeding structure, the controlling structure including a microprocessor connected to the sheet feeding structure, the controlling structure including structure for sensing a sheet fed into and out of blocking relationship with the sensing structure and providing a corresponding signal to the microprocessor, the signal having a first magnitude when a sheet is not disposed in blocking relationship with the sensing structure, the signal having a second magnitude when a sheet is disposed in blocking relationship with the sensing structure, the signal having a variable magnitude between the first and second magnitudes for less than a predetermined time interval when a sheet is fed into blocking relationship with the sensing structure and the sheet edge is in alignment with the registration fence, and the signal having a variable magnitude between the first and second magnitudes for at least the predetermined time interval when a sheet is fed out of blocking relationship with the sensing structure and the sheet edge is not in alignment with the registration fence; and the microprocessor programmed for successively alternately obtaining a sample of the magnitude of the signal and delaying sampling thereof for the predetermined time interval, determining whether the magnitudes of any two successive samples are both between the first and second magnitudes, and causing implementation of a shut-down routine if the magnitudes of any two successive samples are both between the first and second magnitudes.

Claims

1. A mailing machine base comprising:

(a) means for feeding a sheet in a path of travel, a fence defining a direction of the path of travel and against which the an edge of a sheet is normally registered for alignment therewith and thus in the direction of in the path of travel;

(b) means for controlling the sheet feeding means, the controlling means including a microprocessor connected to the sheet feeding means, the controlling means including means for sensing a sheet fed into and out of blocking relationship with the sensing means and providing a corresponding signal to the microprocessor, the signal having a first magnitude when a sheet is not disposed in blocking relationship with the sensing means, the signal having a second magnitude when a sheet is disposed in blocking relationship with the sensing means, the signal having a variable magnitude between the first and second magnitudes for less than a predetermined time interval when a sheet is fed into blocking relationship with the sensing means and the sheet edge is in alignment with the registration fence, and the signal having a variable magnitude between the first and second magnitudes for at least the predetermined time interval when a sheet is fed out of blocking relationship with the sensing means and the sheet edge is not in alignment with the registration fence; and

(c) the microprocessor programmed for

1. successively alternately obtaining a sample of the magnitude of the signal and delaying sampling thereof for the predetermined time interval,

2. determining whether the magnitudes of any two successive samples are both between the first and second magnitudes, and

3. causing implementation of a shut-down routine if the magnitudes of any two successive samples are both between the first and second magnitudes.

2. The mailing machine base according to claim 1, wherein the microprocessor is programmed for successively storing data corresponding to each successive sample in a second register and copying the data stored therein to a first register, and the programming for step Z includes comparing the data in the first and second registers.

3. The mailing machine base according to claim 1, wherein the microprocessor is programmed for determining if the latest obtained sample of the any two successive samples has a magnitude corresponding substantially to the second magnitude if the any two successive samples are not between the first and second magnitudes, and the microprocessor is programmed for permitting implementation of a process for printing on a sheet if the latest obtained sample corresponds to the second magnitude.

4. The mailing machine base according to claim 3, wherein the microprocessor is programmed for preventing implementation of the process for printing on a sheet if the latest obtained sample does not correspond to the second magnitude.

5. The mailing machine base according to claim 1, wherein the variable magnitude is within the range of substantially 25% to and including 75% of the first magnitude.

6. The mailing machine base according to claim 1, wherein the programming for step 2 includes determining whether each successive sample is greater than a predetermined percentage of the first magnitude.

7. The mailing machine base according to claim 1, wherein the programming for step 2 includes determining whether each successive sample is less than a predetermined percentage of the first magnitude.

8. The mailing machine base according to claim 6, wherein data corresponding to a unblocked sensing means condition is stored in a second register when any successive sample is greater than the predetermined percentage.

9. The mailing machine base according to claim 7, wherein data corresponding to a blocked sensor condition is stored in a second register when any successive sample is less than the predetermined percentage.

10. In a mailing machine base including means for feeding a sheet in a path of travel, the base including a fence defining a direction of the path of travel and against which an edge of a sheet is normally registered for alignment thereof in the direction of the path of travel, and the base including means for controlling the sheet feeding means, wherein the controlling means includes a microprocessor connected to the sheet feeding means, wherein the controlling means includes means for sensing a sheet fed into and out of blocking relationship with the sensing means and providing a corresponding signal to the microprocessor, wherein the signal has a first magnitude when a sheet is not disposed in blocking relationship with the sensing means, wherein the signal has a second magnitude when a sheet is disposed in blocking relationship with the sensing means, wherein the signal has a variable magnitude between the first and second magnitudes for less than a predetermined time interval when a sheet is fed into blocking relationship with the sensing means and the sheet edge is in alignment with the registration fence, and wherein the signal has a variable magnitude between the first and second magnitudes for at least the predetermined time interval when a sheet is fed into blocking relationship with the sensing means and the sheet edge is not in alignment with the registration fence, a method of processing a sheet comprising:

programming the microprocessor for

1. successively alternately obtaining a sample of the magnitude of the signal and delaying sampling thereof for the predetermined time interval,

2. determining whether the magnitudes of any two successive samples are both between the first and second magnitudes, and

3. causing implementation of a shut-down routine if the magnitudes of any two successive samples are both between the first and second magnitudes.

11. The method according to claim 10 including programming the microprocessor for successively storing data corresponding to each successive sample in a second register and copying the data stored therein to a first register, and the programming of step 2 including comparing the data in the first and second registers.

12. The method according to claim 10 including programming the microprocessor for determining if the latest obtained sample of the any two successive samples has a magnitude corresponding substantially to the second magnitude if the any two successive samples are not between the first and second magnitudes, and programming the microprocessor for permitting implementation of a process for printing on a sheet if the latest obtained sample corresponds to the second magnitude.

13. The method according to claim 12 including programming the microprocessor for preventing implementation of a process for printing on a sheet if the latest obtained sample does not correspond to the second magnitude.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the programming for step 2 includes the step of determining if the any two successive samples each have a magnitude within the range of substantially 25% to and including 75% of the first magnitude.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the programming for step 2 includes determining whether each successive sample is greater than a predetermined percentage of the first magnitude.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein the programming for step 2 includes determining whether each successive sample is less than a predetermined percentage of the first magnitude.

17. The method according to claim 15 including storing data corresponding to an unblocked sensing means condition in a second register when any successive sample is greater than the predetermined percentage.

18. The mailing machine base according to claim 16 including storing data corresponding to a blocked sensor condition in a second register when any successive sample is less than the predetermined percentage.