Method and device for creating packs of printed products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016257522-A1
Application number	US-201615053729-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 25, 2016
Priority date	Mar 2, 2015
Publication date	Sep 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A postpress system ( 1 ) and method for producing and processing product units (P), in particular printed end products (P) with printed product collections comprising a plurality of products, selected from the group of wrapping products, and a plurality of part products and/or inserts, to make route adapted stacks or packs, at least some of the printed end products (P) being product units which have been customized for specific addressees are proposed. By using feed devices ( 3 ) which each comprise a supply conveyor ( 31 ), a preparation circuit ( 32 ) with a plurality of transport units ( 321 ) and an output conveyor ( 33 ), printed products (D) are fed in a controlled fashion to the holding units ( 21 ) with reliability. A sorting device ( 6 ) with at least one directing group with at least one gate ( 62 ), a transit section ( 612 ) and at least one supply section is used to correct faults, or deviations in the product sequence from the production sequence.

First claim

I claim:

1 . A method for operating a postpress system ( 1 ) for producing and processing product units, in particular printed end products (P) with printed product collections including a plurality of products selected from the group of wrapping products, and a plurality of part products and/or inserts, to make route adapted stacks or packs, wherein at least some of the printed end products (P) are individualized product units for specific addressees, comprising the following steps:
i) collecting printed product collections out of a plurality of printed products (D) in holding units ( 21 ) along a collecting section ( 2 ), wherein printed products (D) are fed to the holding units ( 21 ) by feed devices ( 3 ), including a supply conveyor ( 31 ), a preparation circuit ( 32 ) with a plurality of transport units ( 321 ) and an output conveyor ( 33 ) and wherein, in each case, one printed product (D) is transferred at an output point of the supply conveyor ( 31 ) to a transport unit ( 321 ) of a preparation circuit ( 32 ), transported by the transport unit to the output conveyor ( 33 ) and output to it, and subsequently the output conveyor ( 33 ) outputs the products (D) to the provided holding units ( 21 ) of the collecting section ( 2 , 2 ″), wherein the feed device outputs the printed products to the collecting section in a controlled fashion; and ii) transferring the printed end products (P) in an actual product sequence (S ist ) to at least one stacking device ( 5 . 1 , 5 . 2 ) for producing stacks or packs.

2 . The method for operating a postpress system ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the preparation circuit ( 32 ) outputs the printed products to the output conveyor ( 33 ) in a controlled fashion.

3 . The method for operating a postpress system ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the output conveyor ( 33 ) outputs the products (D) in a controlled fashion to the provided holding units ( 21 ) of the collecting section ( 2 ).

4 . The method for operating a postpress system ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein a checking unit checks that the transport units ( 321 ) of the preparation circuit ( 32 ) only leave the output point when they have picked up a product (D).

5 . A postpress system ( 1 ) for producing and processing product units (P), in particular printed end products (P) with printed product collections including a plurality of products (D), selected from the group of wrapping products, and a plurality of part products and/or inserts, in at least one stacking device ( 5 . 1 , 5 . 2 ) to make route adapted stacks or packs, at least some of the printed end products (P) being product units which have been customized for specific addressees, comprising:
a collecting section ( 2 , 2 ″), with a plurality of feed devices ( 3 ), each comprising a supply conveyor ( 31 ), a preparation circuit ( 32 ) with a plurality of transport units ( 321 ) and an output conveyor ( 33 ), and a collecting circuit with a plurality of holding devices ( 21 ), wherein the feed devices are designed such that they output the products (D) to the provided holding units ( 21 ) of the collecting section ( 2 , 2 ″) in a controlled fashion.

6 . The postpress system ( 1 ) according to claim 5 , wherein the preparation circuit ( 32 ) is designed for the controlled output of the printed products (D) at the output conveyor ( 33 ) and/or the output conveyor ( 33 ) is designed for the controlled output of the printed products (D) to the provided holding units ( 21 ) of the collecting section ( 2 , 2 ″).

7 . The postpress system ( 1 ) according to claim 5 , wherein a checking unit is provided which checks that the transport units ( 321 ) of the preparation circuit ( 32 ) only leave the output point when they have picked up a product (D).

8 . The postpress system ( 1 ) according to claim 5 , wherein the transport units ( 321 ) of the preparation circuit ( 32 ) comprise grippers ( 322 ) for gripping and releasably retaining the products (D).

9 . The postpress system ( 1 ) according to claim 5 , wherein the transport units ( 321 ) are arranged on the preparation circuit ( 32 ) independently of one another and can be conveyed at a variable distance from one another.

10 . The postpress system ( 1 ) according to claim 5 , wherein the transport units ( 321 ) comprise carriages ( 324 ), with grippers ( 322 ), which can move freely in a track ( 323 ).

11 . A method for operating a postpress system ( 1 ′) for producing and processing product units, in particular printed end products (P) with printed product collections including a plurality of products, selected from the group of wrapping products, and a plurality of part products and/or inserts, to make route adapted stacks or packs (S), at least some of the printed end products (P) being product units which have been customized for specific addressees, comprising the following steps:
i) collecting product collections from a plurality of printed products (D) in holding units ( 21 ) of a collecting section ( 2 ′, 2 ″), printed products (D) being fed to the holding units by feed devices ( 3 );
ii) completing the product units (P) comprising the product collections;
iii) transferring the product units (P) to a sorting device ( 6 ) according to a product sequence (S ist );
iv) comparing the actual sequence of the individual product units of the product sequence (S ist ) with the planned sequence of product units according to a production sequence (S soll );
v) one of transporting the product units (P), without any change in the sequence, through the sorting device with the product sequence (S ist ) matched to the production sequence (S soll ), and temporarily storing a repair group (R) comprising a plurality of product units (P), with a sequence which deviates from the production sequence (S soll ), in a supply section ( 611 ) of a directing group and subsequently conveying together, in the correct sequence, the corrected and/or newly produced product units with the product units of the repair group; and
vi) transporting the product units (P), in the correct sequence, to at least one stacking device ( 5 . 1 , 5 . 2 ) for producing route adapted packs.

12 . A postpress system ( 1 ′) for producing and processing product units (P), in particular printed end products (P) with printed product collections including a plurality of products (D), selected from the group of wrapping products (A), and a plurality of part products and/or inserts, in at least one stacking device ( 5 . 1 , 5 . 2 ) to make route adapted stacks or packs, at least some of the printed end products (P) being product units which have been customized for specific addressees, comprising:
a collecting section ( 2 ′, 2 ″), with a plurality of feed devices ( 3 ) and a collecting circuit with multiple holding devices ( 21 ) for producing printed product collections, at least one intermediate conveyor ( 4 ) for transporting the printed product collections from the collecting section ( 2 ) to the at least one stacking device ( 5 . 1 , 5 . 2 ), wherein the intermediate conveyor ( 4 ) comprises multiple transport units ( 321 ) for gripping and releasably retaining the products (D) and a sorting device ( 6 ).

13 . The postpress system ( 1 ′) according to claim 10 , wherein the sorting device ( 6 ) comprises at least one directing group with at least one gate ( 62 ) and at least one supply section ( 611 ).

14 . The postpress system ( 1 ′) according to claim 10 , wherein the transport units ( 321 ) of the intermediate conveyor ( 4 ) are arranged independently of one another and can be conveyed at a variable distance from one another and are preferabl

Assignees

• Keller Alex
• Ferag Ag

Inventors

• Keller Alex

Classifications

• B65H29/003 Primary

  by grippers (B65H29/02 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65H39/115 Primary

  in juxtaposed carriers · CPC title

• B65H2701/1916

  Envelopes and articles of mail · CPC title

• B65H2301/4453

  and performing dynamic accumulation · CPC title

• B65H2301/4311

  Making personalised books or mail packets according to personal, geographic or demographic data · CPC title