Method and apparatus for processing envelopes containing contents

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10850936-B2
Application number	US-201414584284-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 29, 2014
Priority date	May 7, 2010
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

A method and apparatus for processing mail is provided. A feeder serially feeds envelope from a stack of mail. Two cutters at a cutting station cuts one or two edges of the envelopes. As the envelopes travel from the feeder to the cutters the envelope is jogged on two edges to justify the contents with the envelopes. Additionally, an improved feeder is provided to reduce the number of jams created when feeding the envelopes from the stack.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for feeding documents, comprising:
an input bin for receiving a stack of documents in a generally vertical orientation;
a feeder for feeding documents from the stack of documents in the input bin;
a pusher configured to drive the stack of envelopes in the input bin forwardly toward a feeder;
a first sensor configured to sense the pressure of the stack against the feeder;
a second sensor configured to sense that a document has been fed by the feeder;
a controller configured to control the feeder and the pusher in response to signals from the first and second sensors;
wherein the controller actuates the feeder to feed a document from the input bin in response to a signal from the first sensor indicating that the pressure of the stack against the feeder is within a predetermined range;
wherein the controller drives the pusher away from the feeder in response to a signal from the second sensor indicating that a document was not fed from the stack after the feeder was actuated, wherein the controller then drives the pusher toward the feeder to attempt to feed the document a second time.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first sensor is positioned adjacent the feeder.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the second sensor is positioned downstream from the feeder.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a tilt sensor, wherein the document in the stack of documents that is closest to the feeder is the lead document, wherein the tilt sensor detects whether the angle of the lead document relative to vertical is within a predetermined range.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the controller is configured to iteratively drive the pusher toward and away from the feeder in response to signals from the first sensor, the second sensor and the tilt sensor to attempt to automatically clear a jam.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the feeder comprises a pivotable arm biased toward the stack of documents and wherein the first sensor detects the pressure of the stack of mail against the feeder by sensing the pivoting displacement of the feeder.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a motor for selectively driving the pusher, wherein the controller controls the pusher by controlling the operation of the motor; wherein in response to the first sensor detecting a pressure below a threshold, the controller actuates the motor to drive the pusher forwardly.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein in response to the first sensor detecting a pressure above a threshold, the controller actuates the motor to drive the pusher rearwardly away from the feeder.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein if the second sensor does not detect the presence of a document after actuating the feeder to attempt to feed a document from the stack, the controller is configured so the controller drives the pusher forwardly if the first sensor detects that the pressure is within a predetermined range.

10. A method for feeding envelopes containing contents, comprising the steps of:
stacking a plurality of envelopes containing contents in an input bin to form a stack of envelopes in which the envelopes are in a generally vertical orientation;
displacing the stack toward a feeder;
sensing the pressure of the stack against the feeder;
driving the feeder to attempt to feed an envelope from the stack;
detecting whether the feeder fed the envelope from the stack;
iteratively driving the stack toward and away from the feeder and driving the feeder to attempt to feed the envelope in response to the sensed pressure of the stack against the feeder and detecting that the feeder has not fed the envelope from the stack.

11. The method of claim 10 comprising the step of detecting the angular orientation of the front of the stack adjacent the feeder.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of iteratively driving the toward the feeder is in response to the detected angular orientation of the front of the stack.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of iteratively driving the away from the feeder is in response to the detected angular orientation of the front of the stack.

14. An apparatus for feeding envelopes containing contents, comprising:
an input bin configured to receive a stack of envelopes containing contents;
a feeder for feeding an envelope from the stack of envelopes;
a pusher configured to displace the stack toward the feeder;
a first sensor sensing the pressure of the stack against the feeder;
a second sensor operable to detect whether the feeder feeds the envelope;
a controller operable to control the feeder and the pusher in response to signals received from the first and second sensors, wherein the controller iteratively drives the pusher toward and away from the feeder and drives the feeder to attempt to feed the envelope in response to signals from the first and second sensors.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the stack comprises a front end adjacent the feeder and the apparatus comprises a third sensor operable to detect the angular orientation of the front end of the stack.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the controller is operable to iteratively drive the pusher toward and away from the feeder in response to the detected angular orientation of the front of the stack.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the controller iteratively drives the stack toward and away from the feeder in response to signals from the third sensor.

Assignees

• Opex Corp

Inventors

• Allen John
• Dewitt Robert R
• Valinsky Joseph

Classifications

• B43M7/02 Primary

  Devices for both opening envelopes and removing contents · CPC title

• B26D1/00

  Cutting through work characterised by the nature or movement of the cutting member {or particular materials not otherwise provided for}; Apparatus or machines therefor; Cutting members therefor · CPC title

• B43M7/005 Primary

  with at least two cutting discs · CPC title

• B65H2801/66

  Envelope filling machines · CPC title

• B65H2513/41

  Direction of movement · CPC title