Enclosing device, enclosing-sealing apparatus, and image forming system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12372911-B2
Application number	US-202318360865-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2023
Priority date	Aug 2, 2022
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

An enclosing device includes an envelope conveyance path, an envelope loader, an envelope-position restrictor, and an envelope-position adjuster. The envelope conveyance path conveys an envelope to an enclosing position at which an enclosure is enclosed into the envelope. The envelope loader loads the envelope to be supplied to the envelope conveyance path. The envelope-position restrictor restricts a loaded position of the envelope in the envelope loader. The envelope-position adjuster adjusts a position of the envelope with respect to a conveyance direction of the envelope while maintaining a state in which the envelope-position restrictor restricts the loaded position of the envelope.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An enclosing device, comprising:
an envelope conveyance path to convey an envelope to an enclosing position at which an enclosure is enclosed into the envelope;
an envelope loader to load the envelope to be supplied to the envelope conveyance path;
an envelope-position restrictor to restrict a loaded position of the envelope in a width direction of the envelope in the envelope loader; and
an envelope-position adjuster to adjust a position of the envelope in the width direction of the envelope with respect to a conveyance direction of the envelope while maintaining a state in which the envelope-position restrictor restricts the loaded position of the envelope.

2. The enclosing device according to claim 1 , further comprising a holder to hold the state in which the envelope-position restrictor restricts the loaded position,
wherein the envelope-position adjuster includes a holding-position adjusting portion to adjust a position of the holder with respect to the envelope loader.

3. The enclosing device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the holding-position adjusting portion includes a loading mover to move, in the width direction of the envelope, the envelope loader in a state of restricting the loaded position, and
wherein the loading mover is to change a distance between the holder and the envelope loader.

4. The enclosing device according to claim 3 ,
wherein the loading mover includes a shaft having an outer peripheral surface of a spiral shape, the shaft fitted to the envelope loader, and
wherein the shaft has an end with a rotation handle to rotate the spiral shape.

5. The enclosing device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the envelope-position restrictor includes:
a pair of widthwise restricting portions to restrict positions of both ends of the envelope in the width direction of the envelope; and
a widthwise movable portion to move the pair of widthwise restricting portions toward or away from the ends of the envelope in the width direction.

6. The enclosing device according to claim 5 ,
wherein the widthwise movable portion is a shaft having spiral shapes in two regions of an outer peripheral surface divided in an axial direction of the shaft, the spiral shapes spiraled in relatively opposite directions, and
wherein the widthwise restricting portions are a pair of partitions, and each one of the pair of partitions is fitted into corresponding one of the spiral shapes in the two regions.

7. The enclosing device according to claim 6 ,
wherein the shaft has an end with a rotation handle to rotate the shaft.

8. An enclosing-sealing apparatus, comprising:
the enclosing device according to claim 1 ; and
a sealer to seal the envelope, in which the enclosure is enclosed, in the envelope conveyance path.

9. An image forming system, comprising:
an image forming apparatus to form an image on a sheet medium;
a folding processing apparatus to fold the sheet medium on which the image is formed; and
the enclosing-sealing apparatus according to claim 8 , to enclose the sheet medium, which is conveyed from the image forming apparatus or the folding processing apparatus, into the envelope and seal the envelope.

10. An enclosing device, comprising:
an envelope conveyance path configured to convey an envelope to an enclosing position at which an enclosure is enclosed into the envelope;
an envelope loader configured to load the envelope to be supplied to the envelope conveyance path;
an envelope-position restrictor configured to restrict a loaded position of the envelope in a width direction of the envelope in the envelope loader; and
an envelope-position adjuster configured to adjust a position of the envelope loader in the width direction of the envelope while maintaining a state in which the envelope-position restrictor restricts the loaded position of the envelope.

11. The enclosing device according to claim 10 , further comprising a holder configured to hold the state in which the envelope-position restrictor restricts the loaded position,
wherein the envelope-position adjuster includes a holding-position adjusting portion to adjust a position of the holder with respect to the envelope loader.

12. The enclosing device according to claim 11 ,
wherein the holding-position adjusting portion includes a loading mover configured to move, in the width direction of the envelope, the envelope loader in a state of restricting the loaded position, and
wherein the loading mover is configured to change a distance between the holder and the envelope loader.

13. The enclosing device according to claim 12 ,
wherein the loading mover includes a shaft having an outer peripheral surface of a spiral shape, the shaft fitted to the envelope loader, and
wherein the shaft has an end with a rotation handle configured to rotate the spiral shape.

14. The enclosing device according to claim 10 ,
wherein the envelope-position restrictor includes:
a pair of widthwise restricting portions configured to restrict positions of both ends of the envelope in the width direction of the envelope; and
a widthwise movable portion configured to move the pair of widthwise restricting portions toward or away from the ends of the envelope in the width direction.

15. The enclosing device according to claim 14 ,
wherein the widthwise movable portion is a shaft having spiral shapes in two regions of an outer peripheral surface divided in an axial direction of the shaft, the spiral shapes spiraled in relatively opposite directions, and
wherein the widthwise restricting portions are a pair of partitions, and each one of the pair of partitions is fitted into corresponding one of the spiral shapes in the two regions.

16. The enclosing device according to claim 15 ,
wherein the shaft has an end with a rotation handle configured to rotate the shaft.

17. An enclosing-sealing apparatus, comprising:
the enclosing device according to claim 10 ; and
a sealer configured to seal the envelope, in which the enclosure is enclosed, in the envelope conveyance path.

18. An image forming system, comprising:
an image forming apparatus configured to form an image on a sheet medium;
a folding processing apparatus configured to fold the sheet medium on which the image is formed; and
the enclosing-sealing apparatus according to claim 17 , configured to enclose the sheet medium, which is conveyed from the image forming apparatus or the folding processing apparatus, into the envelope and seal the envelope.

Assignees

• Tohkaishi Shuuto
• Takayama Ryota
• Fujisaki Kanako
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tohkaishi Shuuto
• Takayama Ryota
• Fujisaki Kanako

Classifications

• B43M5/042

  for envelopes with only one flap · CPC title

• G03G2215/00514

  Envelopes · CPC title

• G03G2215/00877

  Folding device · CPC title

• B43M3/045

  for envelopes with only one flap · CPC title

• G03G15/6582 Primary

  Special processing for irreversibly adding or changing the sheet copy material characteristics or its appearance, e.g. stamping, annotation printing, punching · CPC title