An inserting system

Abstract

 An inserting system comprises first and second sheetlike item transport guides forming a first sheetlike item transport path for transporting first sheetlike items. Third and fourth sheetlike item transport guides form a second sheetlike item transport path for transporting second sheetlike items. At least a portion of the first and second sheetlike item transport guides and a portion of the third and fourth sheetlike item transport guides are separate. A plate has a first side and an opposite second side, said first side being the portion of the second sheetlike item transport guide and said second side being the portion of the third sheetlike item transport guide. The fourth sheetlike item transport guide is mounted so as to be movable with respect to the third sheetlike item transport guide, and the plate is mounted so as to be movable with respect to the first sheetlike item transport guide.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to an inserting system according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Such an inserting system is known from US-A1-2006/0220307. In this United States patent application an insertion system for inserting materials into envelopes to form mail pieces of a first type and mail pieces of a second type is described. This known insertion system comprises a folding subsystem for folding documents, said folding subsystem having a first pair of folding rollers forming a first folding nip there between and a second pair of folding rollers forming a second folding nip there between. In a path of travel of such materials from a feed station to an inserting position a diverter is present which can be activated either to send the materials through the folding subsystem or to bypass the folding subsystem.

[0003] In practice, a system as mentioned above is typically used in mailrooms where large numbers of documents or sets of documents are each to be inserted in an envelope in order to send these documents to addressees.

[0004] However, also in organizations that send relatively small numbers of documents, and where documents to be sent are for a considerable part processed by hand also when being prepared prior to insertion, mechanized insertion should lead to considerable saving of labor. To be considered here are, for instance, medical practices, workshops and club administrations, as well as service companies taking care of sending smaller mailings for third parties. In addition, in some organizations there is a desire to have several smaller inserting systems rather than one or a few larger ones. Accordingly, there is a need for inserting systems that are attractive due to smaller size than existing systems and involving relatively low cost, still being able to handle a wide variety of applications and having an attractive operation speed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] It is an object of the invention to provide a solution for enabling a simpler and more compact structure of an inserting system.

[0006] This object is achieved according to the invention by providing an inserting system according to claim 1. Since the fourth sheetlike item transport guide is mounted in the inserting system so as to be movable with respect to the third sheetlike item transport guide, and the plate is mounted in the inserting system so as to be movable with respect to the first sheetlike item transport guide, two separate sheetlike item paths can be arranged close together, thus facilitating a compact machine; e.g. a document path and an enclosure path or an envelope path and a document path can be close to each other.

[0007] In an embodiment of an inserting system according to the invention the fourth sheetlike item transport guide is mounted in the inserting system so as to be rotatable around a first rotation axis. Preferably the plate is mounted in the inserting system so as to be rotatable around a second rotation axis. In this way both sheetlike item paths can be easily accessed even if the sheetlike item paths are close together. This simplifies e.g. jam recovery.

[0008] In an advantageous embodiment of an inserting system according to the invention the fourth sheetlike item transport guide is mounted in the inserting system so as to be rotatable around a first rotation axis in a first rotation direction away from the third sheetlike item transport guide, and the plate is mounted in the inserting system so as to be rotatable around a second rotation axis in a second rotation direction away from the first sheetlike item transport guide. Said first and said second direction could be identical, wherein preferably the first and second rotation axis are arranged close to each other near an upper side of the inserting system. Alternatively said first and said second rotation directions could be opposite, wherein preferably the first rotation axis is arranged near an upper side of the inserting system and the second rotation axis is arranged near a lower side of the inserting system. In this way a very simple construction is obtained which allows the inserting system to be opened by rotation around the first rotation axis in e.g. upward direction so that the second sheetlike item path is easily accessible, and also the plate can be easily rotated away, e.g. downward, giving room to access the first sheetlike item path. Furthermore the inside of the inserting system can in this way be accessed from all sides.

[0009] In a further embodiment of an inserting system according to the invention the first sheetlike item transport guide comprises driving means, such as one or more rollers, belts, strings, grippers or transport fingers and the portion of the second sheetlike item transport guide comprises non-driving means which can be brought into (preferably close) contact with the driving means in the first sheetlike item transport guide, and preferably the fourth sheetlike item transport guide comprises driving means, and the portion of the third sheetlike item transport guide comprises non-driving means which can be brought into (preferably close) contact with the driving means in the fourth sheetlike item transport guide. In this way no driving parts are present on the plate which can e.g. be rotated away, thus making it possible to use a simpler and cheaper driving chain.

[0010] In order to provide a compact construction of the inserting system which provides additional functions to the inserting system the plate can comprise a sensor for sheetlike item detection and/or a scanner for scanning a sheetlike item and/or a camera for capturing images of a sheetlike item transported through a transport path. It is preferred that the sensor and/or scanner can be directed to either one of the transport paths, so that only a limited number of sensors/scanners have to be used to perform the desired operations, thus limiting the costs of the inserting system. This can be achieved by movably mounting the sensor and/or scanner, wherein the movement of the sensor and/or scanner can be done through control of a control unit which is part of the inserting system or by an operator or technician. In another embodiment a mirror construction can be used to direct the sensor and/or scanner to either one of the transport paths. The direction in which the mirror construction directs the sensor and/or scanner can be adjusted by a control unit included in the inserting system or by an operator or technician.

[0011] A multifunctional inserting system is provided when the plate comprises at least one cross-over path for transporting a sheetlike item from one of the sheetlike item transport paths to the other one of the sheetlike item transport paths, wherein the inserting system comprises a diverter operable to selectively divert sheetlike items to be transported from a transport path to the cross-over path. Optionally the diverter may be arranged on the plate, however arrangement on a stationary side of the inserting machine is preferred. The plate may comprise two or more parts, preferably divided by the at least one cross-over path. The parts may be rotated together around the same axis, but also individually around separate axes to access the paths shielded by the plate.

[0012] Further embodiments disclosed in the dependent claims contribute to providing a simpler and more compact structure of an inserter system.

[0013] Further objects, aspects, effects and details of the invention are described in the following detailed description of a number of exemplary embodiments, with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] 

Fig.1 is a schematic side elevation, partly in cross-section, of an inserting system according to the invention,

Fig. 2 is a schematic side view in perspective of the inserting system of Figure 1 in which the inserting system is partly opened to access a document transport path, and

Fig. 3 is a schematic side view in perspective of the inserting system of Figures 1 and 2 in which the inserting system is further opened to access an envelope and/or enclosure transport path.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] In Figure 1 a schematic side elevation, partly in cross-section, of an inserting system 1 is shown. In this embodiment the inserting system 1 has a housing 6 in which three document feeding stations 2, 3, 4 for feeding documents, an envelope feeding station 5 for feeding envelopes, an enclosure feeding station 7 for feeding enclosures, a folding station 8, an inserting station 9 and a tray 10 for receiving completed mail pieces 11 can be distinguished.

[0016] Each document feeding station 2, 3, 4 has a document holder 12, 13, 14 for holding a stack 15, 16, 17 of documents and a separating system 18, 19, 20 for separating and transporting a document or document set from the stack 15, 16, 17 and transporting it further into the inserting system 1. In an embodiment, the feeding station 4 is dedicated to daily mail, in which case the whole stack (being one document set) is transported at once from the feeding station to a document transport path.

[0017] The envelope feeding station 5 and the enclosure feeding station 7 may both function as a feeder for sheetlike items, such as envelopes, enclosures, or documents. Hence it is possible to have two separate envelope feeders. In an alternative embodiment it is also possible to have e.g. two enclosure feeding stations, where the envelope feeding station is located elsewhere in the system (not shown in the drawings).

[0018] The envelope feeding station 5 has an envelope holder 21 for holding a stack 22 of envelopes and a separating system 23 for separating and transporting a single envelope from the stack 22 and transporting it further into the inserting system 1.

[0019] The enclosure feeding station 7 has an enclosure holder 24 for holding a stack 25 of enclosures and a separating system 26 for separating and transporting a single enclosure from the stack 25 and transporting it further into the inserting system 1.

[0020] The folding station 8 has a first pair of folding rollers 27, 28 forming a first folding nip there between and a second pair of folding rollers 28, 29 forming a second folding nip there between. In this embodiment one of the folding rollers of the first pair of folding rollers and one of the folding rollers of the second pair of folding rollers are formed by one and the same folding roller 28, but it is also possible that in an alternative embodiment the first and second pair of folding rollers do not comprise a common folding roller.

[0021] The inserting station 9 comprises an envelope holder 30 for holding an envelope 32 in an inserting position 31, and a flap hold-open element 33 for holding open a flap 34 of the envelope 32 held in the envelope holder 30. Please note that the envelope holder and the flap hold-open element are not depicted in detail, since these elements are known per se. For example, but not exclusively, the flap hold-open element and envelope holder as described in EP-A1-2.123.474 can be used in the inventive inserting system. In the situation where the flap 34 of the envelope 32 is held open by the flap hold-open element 33 a document folded in the folding station 8 can be inserted into the envelope 32. In order to realize this, the inserting station 9 is connected to the folding station 8 in a manner known per se.

[0022] From the document feeding station 3 a document transport path 35 for transporting documents from the stack 16 of documents extends through the folding station 8 to the inserting position 31. From the document feeding station 2 a document transport path 36 extends into the document transport path 35 for transporting documents from the stack 15 of documents through the folding station 8 to the inserting position 31. From the document feeding station 4 a document transport path 37 extends into the document transport path 36 for transporting documents, or a set of documents at once (in case the daily mail function is enabled or one of the feeding stations is dedicated to daily mail), from the stack 17 of documents through the folding station 8 to the inserting position 31.

[0023] From the envelope feeding station 5 an envelope transport path 38 for transporting an envelope from the stack 22 of envelopes extends through the second folding nip formed between the second pair of folding rollers 28, 29 to the inserting position 31.

[0024] From the enclosure feeding station 7 an enclosure transport path 39 enters into the envelope transport path 38 for transporting an enclosure from the stack 25 of enclosures through the second folding nip formed between the second pair of folding rollers 28, 29 to the inserting position 31. In this embodiment the enclosure transport path coincides at least for a part with the envelope transport path. However, in an alternative embodiment the enclosure transport path may be completely separate from the envelope transport path.

[0025] In the embodiment shown the enclosure transport path 38, 39 comprises a diverter 40. This diverter 40 defines a first enclosure transport path part a between the enclosure feeding station 7 and the diverter 40. In the position of the diverter 40 indicated by solid lines a second enclosure transport path part through which an enclosure can be transported is defined by a cross-over path 41 which runs into the document transport path 35. Thus the diverted enclosure passes through the first and the second folding nip, and is finally transported to the inserting position 31. In this position of the diverter 40 the enclosure transport path is formed by the first enclosure transport path part a, the cross-over path 41 and a (final) part of the document transport path 35. A stop 42 may be present to collate enclosures. Such a stop or other means for collating enclosures is known per se, and by way of non-limiting example reference is made to EP-A-2 107 021.

[0026] In the position of the diverter 40' indicated by dotted lines an enclosure being transported through the first enclosure transport path part a, continues through the envelope transport path 38 portion between the diverter 40' and the inserting position 31. This portion of the envelope transport path 38 between the diverter 40' and inserting position 31 forms a third transport path part for an enclosure bypassing the first folding nip and only passing through the second folding nip.

[0027] The diverter 40 is operable to selectively divert enclosures to be transported from the enclosure feeding station 7 to the inserting position 31 by the first enclosure transport path part a and the second enclosure transport path part (41 and final part of 35) or the first enclosure transport path part a and the third enclosure transport path part (portion of envelope transport path 38 between diverter 40 and inserting position 31).

[0028] Thus e.g. in case of a letter fold (also called a C-fold) or a Z-fold of the main documents and a relatively short enclosure or business reply envelope (BRE) fitting in the main envelope without being folded, the diverter 40' is placed in the position indicated by dotted lines and the enclosure or BRE will be sent through the third enclosure transport path part and bypasses the first folding nip. The enclosure is then inserted into the second fold of the documents, so that the enclosure or BRE will be nested inside the main documents and will not fall out of the envelope easily when the recipient opens the letter. In other cases the diverter 40 can be placed in the position indicated by the solid lines so that the enclosure or BRE passes through the first folding nip as well as the second folding nip (which folding stations form substations of the inserting system). This is mostly the case when a single fold is applied, in order to have the enclosure or BRE nested inside the main documents, but also applies to enclosures that need to be folded in order to fit into the envelope.

[0029] As can be seen in Figure 1 the envelope transport path 38 can be divided into a first envelope transport path part, which is arranged between the envelope feeding station 5 and the diverter 40 and a second envelope transport path part, which is arranged between the diverter 40 and the inserting position 31. To avoid too many sheetlike item paths and to be able to form a compact inserting system the paths are arranged such that a portion of the first envelope transport path part coincides with a portion of the first enclosure transport path part, and such that a large portion of the second envelope transport path part and third enclosure transport path part coincide.

[0030] Seen in transport direction from a feeding station to the inserting position 31 the envelope transport path 38 and the document transport path 35 upstream of the second folding nip 28, 29 are separate so that documents and envelopes can be transported independently of each other and for example simultaneously thus increasing the output rate of the inserting system.

[0031] As can be seen in the embodiment shown in Figures 1 - 3 the inserting system 1 further comprises a plate 43 having a first side 45 and an opposite second side 44.

[0032] In the embodiment shown the envelope and enclosure transport path 38 is partly formed between a first sheetlike item transport guide formed by the first side 45 of the plate 43 and a second sheetlike item transport guide formed by a guide plate 46 and a number of transport rollers of which only two 47 and 47' are indicated in Figure 1. The transport rollers 47, 47' in the first sheetlike item transport guide are driving rollers which can be brought into contact with non-driving rollers 56, 56' (Fig. 3) arranged on the plate 43

[0033] Furthermore in the embodiment shown the document transport path 35 is partly formed by the second side 44 of the plate 43 (forming a third sheetlike item transport guide) and a fourth sheetlike item transport guide formed by a guide plate 48 and a number of transport rollers of which only two 49 and 49' are indicated in Figure 1. By this construction it is clear that, seen in transport direction from a feeding station to a substation (e.g. formed by a collating station, a folding station or an insert station), at least a portion of the first and second sheetlike item transport guides 46, 45 and a portion of the third and fourth sheetlike item transport guides 44, 48 upstream of the substation are separate. The rollers 49, 49' in the fourth sheetlike item transport guide are driving rollers which can be brought into contact with non-driving rollers and 57, 57' (Fig. 2) respectively, arranged on the plate 43.

[0034] Please note that although in this embodiment transport rollers are shown, the invention is not limited to rollers, but also encompasses other transport means such as belts, strings, a gripper mechanism or any other known transport mechanism or a combination of any other known transport means. The non-driving transport means (i.e. the passive transport means) in the plate will rotate when they are in contact with the driving transport means. However, it is not necessary that the plate comprises non-driving transport means. It is also possible to provide the plate with a smooth guiding surface, optionally provided with holes on the position of the driving transport means on the opposite side of the sheetlike item path. Please note that the driving means in the first sheetlike item transport guide and the fourth sheetlike item transport guide may be different from another, such as e.g. a driving belt in the first sheetlike item transport guide and driving rollers in the fourth sheetlike item transport guide. In addition the non-driving means in the second and third sheetlike item transport guides may be different from another, such as e.g. a smooth guiding surface for the second sheetlike item transport guide and non-driven contra rollers on the third sheetlike item transport guide.

[0035] Although the shown embodiment comprises guide plates 46, 48 the invention is not limited to the use of plates as guide elements. Furthermore, although in the shown embodiment transport rollers are shown, the invention is not limited to rollers. The guide plates and the transport rollers could also be replaced by other transport means such as belts, strings, a gripper mechanism or any other known transport mechanism or a combination of any other known transport means. For example, in an alternative embodiment the number of transport rollers 47, 47' could be sufficient to provide a guide for sheetlike items to be transported, so that the guide plate could be dispensed with. The non-driving transport means (i.e. the passive transport means) in the plate will rotate when they are in contact with the driving transport means. However, it is not necessary that the plate comprises non-driving transport means. It is also possible to provide the plate with a smooth guiding surface, optionally provided with holes on the position of the driving transport means on the opposite side of the sheetlike item path. In case transport rollers, belts or strings are used the rotation axis of these transport means is perpendicular to the feeding direction of the sheetlike items.

[0036] In the embodiment shown the fourth sheetlike item transport guide 48 together with amongst other things the document feeding stations, the envelope feeding station and part of the housing 6 are mounted in the inserting system so as to be rotatable around a first rotation axis 50, which is arranged near an upper side of the inserting system 1. As is shown in Figures 2 and 3 this upper part of the inserting machine can be rotated upward around the rotation axis 50 as indicated by the arrow 53. This part of the inserting machine is supported on opposite sides by e.g. hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders 51, 52. By such an upward rotation the fourth sheetlike item transport guide 48 and the third sheetlike item transport guide 44 are separated so that the document transport path is made accessible e.g. for maintenance or removal of jammed documents.

[0037] In addition the plate 43 is mounted in the inserting system 1 so as to be rotatable around a second rotation axis 54, which is arranged on a lower machine part near a lower side of the inserting system 1. The plate 43 can thus be rotated around the second rotation axis 54 in a second rotation direction (arrow 55). This causes that the second sheetlike item transport guide 45 is rotated away from the first sheetlike item transport guide 46 so that the envelope or enclosure transport path is made accessible, e.g. for maintenance or removal of jammed envelopes or enclosures. For accessing the transport paths the rotation directions 53, 55 can be opposite.

[0038] In an alternative embodiment not shown in the Figures, the plate 43 could be mounted so as to be rotatable together with the upper machine part when this upper machine part is rotated upward around the rotation axis 50 as indicated by the arrow 53, so that the separation of the machine parts will take place between the first and second guides. In order to access the other sheetlike item path the plate 43 could then be mounted to the upper machine part so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis. Furthermore, the rotation axes could be positioned at approximately the same level of the machine. In a further alternative embodiment the plate could be mounted to the upper or lower machine part by a rotation axis or other means, such as a parallelogram construction or other construction forcing a rectilinear movement of the plate relative to the machine part, as long as the plate can be moved away from the relative machine part to allow access to the relevant sheetlike item path. In addition the plate could be mounted in the inserting system so as to be completely removable from the upper and lower machine parts. Furthermore, the plate may be divided into two or more parts that may be opened together but also individually. Preferably the plate is divided into two parts by the cross over path. The plate parts may be rotated together around the same axis but may also be rotatable individually around separate axes to access the paths shielded by the plate.

[0039] Although not indicated in the drawings the plate 43 can comprise sensors for sheetlike item detection and/or scanners for scanning a document transported through a transport path. These sensors and/or scanners can be movably mounted so that the sensors and/or scanners can be directed to either one of the transport paths. The diverter 40 can also be arranged on the plate 43, but can alternatively be arranged in or near the first sheetlike item transport guide.

[0040] It will be clear that in case there are more separate transport paths in an inserting system, more than one rotatable mounted plate without driving transport means separating these transport paths can be present. For example 4 parallel sheetlike item paths can be achieved using two plates in parallel. Although in the embodiment shown in Figure 1 the holders 12, 13, 14 each hold a stack of documents, the holder 21 holds a stack of envelopes, and the holder 24 holds a stack of enclosures the invention is not limited to this embodiment. Depending on the desired application and configuration the holders may interchangeably hold other sheetlike items. In addition the inventive inserting system is not limited to the more or less vertical sheetlike item transport paths shown in the drawings but the invention is also applicable to inserting systems in which the sheetlike item paths are at least substantially horizontal.

Claims

1. An inserting system, comprising:

- a first sheetlike item feeding station for feeding first sheetlike items,

- a second sheetlike item feeding station for feeding second sheetlike items,

- a substation for performing at least one action on the first sheetlike items and the second sheetlike items,

- a first sheetlike item transport guide and a second sheetlike item transport guide forming a first sheetlike item transport path there between for transporting first sheetlike items from the first sheetlike item feeding station to the substation,

- a third sheetlike item transport guide and a fourth sheetlike item transport guide forming a second sheetlike item transport path there between for transporting second sheetlike items from the second sheetlike item feeding station to the substation,

wherein seen in transport direction from a feeding station to the substation at least a portion of the first and second sheetlike item transport guides and a portion of the third and fourth sheetlike item transport guides upstream of the substation are separate, said inserting system further comprising a plate having a first side and an opposite second side, said first side being the portion of the second sheetlike item transport guide and said second side being the portion of the third sheetlike item transport guide,
wherein the fourth sheetlike item transport guide is mounted in the inserting system so as to be movable with respect to the third sheetlike item transport guide, and the plate is mounted in the inserting system so as to be movable with respect to the first sheetlike item transport guide.

2. An inserting system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fourth sheetlike item transport guide is mounted in the inserting system so as to be rotatable around a first rotation axis.

3. An inserting system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the plate is mounted in the inserting system so as to be rotatable around a second rotation axis.

4. An inserting system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fourth sheetlike item transport guide is mounted in the inserting system so as to be rotatable around a first rotation axis in a first rotation direction away from the third sheetlike item transport guide, and the plate is mounted in the inserting system so as to be rotatable around a second rotation axis in a second rotation direction away from the first sheetlike item transport guide.

5. An inserting system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first and said second direction are identical.

6. An inserting system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first and second rotation axis are arranged close to each other near an upper side of the inserting system.

7. An inserting system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first and said second rotation directions being opposite.

8. An inserting system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first rotation axis is arranged near an upper side of the inserting system and the second rotation axis is arranged near a lower side of the inserting system.

9. An inserting system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first sheetlike item transport guide comprises driving means, and the portion of the second sheetlike item transport guide comprises non-driving means which can be brought into close contact with the driving means in the first sheetlike item transport guide.

10. An inserting system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fourth sheetlike item transport guide comprises driving means, and the portion of the third sheetlike item transport guide comprises non-driving means which can be brought into contact with the driving means in the fourth sheetlike item transport guide.

11. An inserting system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plate comprises a scanner for scanning a sheetlike item or a camera for capturing images of a sheetlike item transported through a transport path.

12. An inserting system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the scanner can be directed to either one of the transport paths.

13. An inserting system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plate comprises at least one cross-over path for transporting a sheetlike item from one of the sheetlike item transport paths to the other one of the sheetlike item transport paths.

14. An inserting system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the inserting system comprises a diverter operable to selectively divert sheetlike items to be transported from a transport path to the at least one cross-over path.

15. An inserting system as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plate comprises two or more parts, preferably divided by the at least one cross-over path.

Drawing