Card package production system with antijamming carrier transport mechanism and method
OwnerJames G. Bretl, Robert J. Bretl +2inventors
InventorsJames G. Bretl, Robert J. Bretl, Jeffery L. Hill, Gregory S. Hill
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A card package production system (100) with a printer module (102) that prints and provides carriers (113) to an attachment module (104) for attaching cards (130) to matching carriers has a carrier transport mechanism (FIGS. 11-14 and 48) with carrier support members (224 and 226) with upstream ends that are elevated relative to the downstream ends of downstream carrier support members (226 and 228), respectively, to enable an upstream carrier to pass over the top of a downstream carrier to prevent the upstream carrier from jamming into the downstream carrier during a temporary halt in operation.
Claims29
In a card package production system for producing card packages composed of printed paper carriers with matching cards attached to the carriers, and having an inserter with a carrier inlet, and a printer for providing printed carrier forms to the carrier inlet of the inserter, the improvement being an anti-jamming carrier transport mechanism, comprising:
- a carrier inlet station adjacent the carrier inlet, said carrier inlet station having a guide to guide a leading edge of the carriers received at the carrier inlet to a carrier outlet of the inlet station;
- a card attachment station at which cards are attached to the carriers;
- an intermediate station with an intermediate carrier guide for conveying carriers between the inlet station and the card attachment station, said intermediate carrier guide extending to the card attachment station from an intermediate inlet end of the intermediate station at a level beneath the carrier outlet of the carrier inlet station, said carrier guide supporting a lagging edge of a first carrier beneath the carrier outlet of the inlet station to enable the leading edge of a successive carrier from the carrier inlet station to pass over the lagging edge of the first carrier.
In a card package production system for producing card packages composed of printed paper carriers with matching cards attached to the carriers, and having an inserter with a carrier inlet, and a printer for providing printed carrier forms to the carrier inlet of the inserter, the improvement being an anti-jamming carrier transport mechanism, comprising:
- a carrier inlet station adjacent the carrier inlet, said carrier inlet station having a guide to guide a leading edge of the carriers received at the carrier inlet to a carrier outlet of the inlet station;
- a card attachment station at which cards are attached to the carriers;
- and
- an intermediate station with an intermediate carrier guide for conveying carriers between the inlet station and an outlet end to the card attachment station, said card attachment section including an underlying attachment guide member with an inlet end for receiving carriers from the intermediate section that is located beneath the outlet end of the intermediate carrier guide, said underlying attachment guide member supporting a lagging edge of a first carrier beneath the carrier outlet of the intermediate section to enable the leading edge of a successive carrier from the carrier inlet station to pass over the lagging edge of the first carrier.
In a card package production system for producing card packages composed printed paper carriers with matching cards attached to the carriers, and having an inserter with a carrier inlet, and a printer for providing printed carrier forms to the carrier inlet of the inserter and a carrier transport mechanism, the improvement being an anti-jamming, carrier transporting method, comprising the steps of:
- directing, with a guide of a carrier inlet station having a carrier inlet and a carrier outlet, a leading edge of the carriers received at the carrier inlet to the carrier outlet;
- attaching cards to matching carriers at a card attachment station;
- conveying carriers, with an intermediate carrier guide of an intermediate station, between the inlet station and the card attachment station via an intermediate carrier guide having an intermediate inlet end at a level beneath the carrier outlet of the carrier inlet station and extending to the card attachment station;
- and
- supporting, with said carrier guide, a lagging edge of a first carrier beneath the carrier outlet of the inlet station while the leading edge of a successive carrier from the carrier inlet station passes over the lagging edge of the first carrier.
In a card package production system for producing card packages composed of printed paper carriers with matching cards attached to the carriers, and having an inserter with a carrier inlet, and a printer for providing printed carrier forms to the carrier inlet of the inserter, the improvement being an anti-jamming carrier transport method, comprising the steps of:
- directing with a guide of a carrier inlet station adjacent the carrier inlet, a leading edge of the carriers received at the carrier inlet to a carrier outlet of the inlet station;
- attaching cards to matching carriers at a card attachment station;
- and
- conveying carriers with an intermediate carrier guide of an intermediate station between the inlet station and an outlet end of the intermediate station to the card attachment station, said card attachment section including an underlying attachment guide member with an inlet end for receiving carriers from the intermediate section that is located beneath the outlet end of the intermediate carrier station, said underlying attachment guide member supporting a lagging edge of a first carrier beneath the carrier outlet of the intermediate section to enable the leading edge of a successive carrier from the carrier inlet station to pass over the lagging edge of the first carrier.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.