Modular automatic envelope inserting machine

• US 6,155,031 A
• Filed: 03/17/1999
• Issued: 12/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SITA SPA (Government of Italy)
• Original Assignee: SITA SPA (Government of Italy)
• Inventors: Ballestrazzi, Aris, Tassi, Lamberto
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, EUGENE LEE
• Application Number:
  US09/268,727
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 53/492, 53/381.5, 53/381.1, 53/381.6, 53/569
• US Class Current: 53/569
• CPC Class Codes: B43M 3/04 automatic
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 39/043 the piles being disposed in juxtaposed carriers

Abstract

An automatic envelope inserting machine which comprises a supporting structure (31, 331) whereon envelopes (17) are made to feed, in said envelopes one or more flat inserts have to be placed (16, 16'"'"', 16"), an envelope feeder (18, 318) towards a conveyor belt (15, 40, 40a, 315, 340, 340a) which carries one envelope behind the other, at least one insert loader (11-14, 211, 212), an insertion device of at least one insert, which is selected and directed towards the feed conveyor belt, and which is inserted into a predetermined envelope (17) and elements (87) for the opening of the envelope (17), whereby, before the envelope feeder (18, 318), a deviation device (19) is provided to carry the selected inserts towards the insertion device (20, 84, 320, 384), the insertion device can move back and forth with respect to the supporting structure (31, 331), by means of translation elements (44), in a direction parallel to the feed conveyor belt and synchronised with the forward movement of the envelope (17), a pushing device (84) is provided at one end of the deviation device (19) in order to carry the insert to the insertion device (20).

Claims

1. An envelope inserting machine comprising:

a supporting structure on which envelopes are made to advance, at least one insert being configured to be inserted into each of the envelopes;

an envelope feeder configured to feed the envelopes towards a conveyor belt which carries the envelopes;

at least one insert loader configured to supply the at least one insert to the conveyor belt;

opening elements configured to open the envelopes on the conveyor belt;

an insertion device which is configured to insert the at least one insert into each of the envelopes on the conveyor belt, said insertion device including suction elements as additional opening elements of said envelope, said suction elements being controlled by an oscillating lever engaged with an annular cam through an elastic element, said suction elements being driven by a four-bar linkage placed between said oscillating lever and said suction elements;

translation elements configured to move said insertion device back and forth in a direction parallel to said conveyor belt synchronizing with a forward movement of the envelopes on the conveyor belt; and

a deviation device provided to carry the at least one insert from the conveyor belt towards the insertion device before the envelope feeder, the deviation device including a pushing device provided at one end of said deviation device in order to carry the at least one insert to said insertion device.

2. An envelope inserting machine comprising:

a supporting structure on which envelopes are made to advance, at least one insert being configured to be inserted into each of the envelopes;

an envelope feeder configured to feed the envelopes towards a conveyor belt which carries the envelopes;

at least one insert loader configured to supply the at least one insert to the conveyor belt;

opening elements configured to open the envelopes on the conveyor belt;

an insertion device which is configured to insert the at least one insert into each of the envelopes on the conveyor belt;

translation elements configured to move said insertion device back and forth in a direction parallel to said conveyor belt synchronizing with a forward movement of the envelopes on the conveyor belt; and

a deviation device provided to carry the at least one insert from the conveyor belt towards the insertion device before the envelope feeder, the deviation device including a pushing device provided at one end of said deviation device in order to carry the at least one insert to said insertion device,

wherein the insertion device is configured to be moved by means of a motor that activates an intermediate oscillating control group from which two transmissions depart, one of said transmissions is a rotating movement transmission for a shaft which is placed in said insertion device with interposed angular transmissions, and another of said transmissions is an intermittent alternate movement transmission, driven by means of an oscillating lever connected, at one of its free ends, to a carriage which supports said insertion device.

3. An envelope inserting machine comprising:

a supporting structure on which envelopes are made to advance, at least one insert being configured to be inserted into each of the envelopes;

an envelope feeder configured to feed the envelopes towards a conveyor belt which carries the envelopes;

at least one insert loader configured to supply the at least one insert to the conveyor belt;

opening elements configured to open the envelopes on the conveyor belt;

an insertion device which is configured to insert the at least one insert into each of the envelopes on the conveyor belt;

translation elements configured to move said insertion device back and forth in a direction parallel to said conveyor belt synchronizing with a forward movement of the envelopes on the conveyor belt; and

a deviation device provided to carry the at least one insert from the conveyor belt towards the insertion device before the envelope feeder, the deviation device including a pushing device provided at one end of said deviation device in order to carry the at least one insert to said insertion device,

wherein the insertion device is configured to be moved through a transmission which takes a movement directly from a longitudinal drive shaft which controls the machine, and which also drives an inlet shaft which belongs to an intermediate oscillation control group, from which two transmissions depart, one of the two transmissions is a rotating movement transmission for a shaft which is placed in said insertion device with angular transmission, and another of the two transmissions is an intermittent alternate movement transmission driven by means of an oscillating lever connected, at one of its free ends, to a carriage which supports said insertion device.

4. An envelope inserting machine comprising:

a supporting structure on which envelopes are made to advance, at least one insert being configured to be inserted into each of the envelopes;

an envelope feeder configured to feed the envelopes towards a conveyor belt which carries the envelopes;

at least one insert loader configured to supply the at least one insert to the conveyor belt;

opening elements configured to open the envelopes on the conveyor belt;

an insertion device which is configured to insert the at least one insert into each of the envelopes on the conveyor belt;

translation elements configured to move said insertion device back and forth in a direction parallel to said conveyor belt synchronizing with a forward movement of the envelopes on the conveyor belt; and

a deviation device provided to carry the at least one insert from the conveyor belt towards the insertion device before the envelope feeder, the deviation device including a pushing device provided at one end of said deviation device in order to carry the at least one insert to said insertion device,

wherein said deviation device comprises a base structure which supports couples of belts on an additional structure, the couples of belts are placed in the shape of a closed ring and face each other along a common holding section which is configured to block and carry said at least one insert, and said base structure which supports said couples of belts is configured to be lifted by means of an actuator to avoid a drawing of said at least one insert by said belts.

5. An envelope inserting machine comprising:

a supporting structure on which envelopes are made to advance, at least one insert being configured to be inserted into each of the envelopes;

an envelope feeder configured to feed the envelopes towards a conveyor belt which carries the envelopes;

at least one insert loader configured to supply the at least one insert to the conveyor belt;

opening elements configured to open the envelopes on the conveyor belt;

an insertion device which is configured to insert the at least one insert into each of the envelopes on the conveyor belt;

translation elements configured to move said insertion device back and forth in a direction parallel to said conveyor belt synchronizing with a forward movement of the envelopes on the conveyor belt; and

a deviation device provided to carry the at least one insert from the conveyor belt towards the insertion device before the envelope feeder, the deviation device including a pushing device provided at one end of said deviation device in order to carry the at least one insert to said insertion device,

wherein a motor is provided which transmits a movement by means of a toothed belt transmission to a reduction unit connected to a drive shaft placed longitudinally with respect to said machine, a drive shaft drives said envelope feeder by means of a chain transmission, an additional transmission is provided towards a release device which, through an additional chain transmission, causes a rotation of a second shaft parallel to said first shaft and which drives other devices, said release device allows synchronizing between said main drive shaft and said second shaft, said second shaft drives the rotation of a couple of suction belts which can hold said envelopes both when facing the insertion device in order to receive inserts and in the following dampening stage by means of a dampening roll.

6. An envelope inserting machine comprising:

a supporting structure on which envelopes are made to advance, at least one insert being configured to be inserted into each of the envelopes;

an envelope feeder configured to feed the envelopes towards a conveyor belt which carries the envelopes;

at least one insert loader configured to supply the at least one insert to the conveyor belt;

opening elements configured to open the envelopes on the conveyor belt;

an insertion device which is configured to insert the at least one insert into each of the envelopes on the conveyor belt;

translation elements configured to move said insertion device back and forth in a direction parallel to said conveyor belt synchronizing with a forward movement of the envelopes on the conveyor belt; and

a deviation device provided to carry the at least one insert from the conveyor belt towards the insertion device before the envelope feeder, the deviation device including a pushing device provided at one end of said deviation device in order to carry the at least one insert to said insertion device,

wherein a device is combined with said insertion device in order to help to open said envelopes, said device comprises an annular cam which is placed on a shaft belonging to said insertion device, whereby said shaft collaborates with a pneumatic valve that selectively sends air towards a couple of air blowing elements, which face said envelopes at the opposite ends of said envelope, inside its opening.

7. An envelope inserting machine comprising:

a supporting structure on which envelopes are made to advance, at least one insert being configured to be inserted into each of the envelopes;

an envelope feeder configured to feed the envelopes towards a conveyor belt which carries the envelopes;

at least one insert loader configured to supply the at least one insert to the conveyor belt;

opening elements configured to open the envelopes on the conveyor belt;

an insertion device which is configured to insert the at least one insert into each of the envelopes on the conveyor belt;

translation elements configured to move said insertion device back and forth in a direction parallel to said conveyor belt synchronizing with a forward movement of the envelopes on the conveyor belt; and

a deviation device provided to carry the at least one insert from the conveyor belt towards the insertion device before the envelope feeder, the deviation device including a pushing device provided at one end of said deviation device in order to carry the at least one insert to said insertion device,

wherein said conveyor belt has pushing means placed at distances a little longer than a length of an envelope, said at least one insert loader and said envelope feeder feed two inserts and two envelopes longitudinally aligned with respect to the machine and spaced so as to be placed between said pushing means, and a conveyor belt is placed at one end of said deviation device, said conveyor belt is configured to be rotated between an aligned position and an overturned position so as to cause a longitudinally spaced positioning of subsequent two inserts on said pushing means of the conveyor.

8. A machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein said conveyor belt comprises a belt that is configured to rotate around a pivot between said aligned position aligned to end portions of couples of belts which belong to said deviation device and said overturned position.

9. A machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein the movement between said aligned position and said overturned position is controlled by an actuator.