Method and apparatus for processing envelopes containing contents
AssigneeOpex Corporation
InventorsJohn Allen, Robert R DeWitt, Joseph Valinsky
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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.
Claims17
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.
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.
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.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.