Coupon insertion apparatus and method
AssigneeGallimore Industries, Inc.
InventorKent Gallimore
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus in one embodiment has: a positioning functionality that sequentially locates, at a predefined bight, coupons of a continuous web of coupons; a burst functionality whereby a foremost coupon is separated at the predefined bight from a next coupon of the continuous web of coupons; a staging functionality whereby the separated foremost coupon is moved to a staging position; and an insertion functionality whereby the first coupon is inserted into a container. In another embodiment the first coupon is inserted into a container only after the next coupon is separated from the continuous web. In another embodiment after the second coupon is sensed, the first coupon is burst and inserted into a container.
Claims33
An apparatus, comprising:
- a positioning functionality that sequentially locates, at a predefined bight, coupons of a continuous web of coupons;
- a burst functionality whereby a foremost coupon is separated at the predefined bight from a next coupon of the continuous web of coupons;
- a staging functionality whereby the separated foremost coupon is moved to a staging position;
- and
- an insertion functionality whereby the first coupon is inserted into a container only after the next coupon is separated from the continuous web.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a feeding roll assembly and a burst roll assembly that defines a predefined bight whereby a foremost coupon is separated at the predefined bight from a next coupon of a continuous web of coupons;
- a coupon sensor located before the feeding roll assembly and for locating, at the predefined bight, coupons of the continuous web of coupons;
- a delivery assembly operatively coupled to the burst roll assembly, the delivery assembly defining a staging position for separated coupons from the continuous web of coupons;
- and
- a controller operatively coupled to the coupon sensor, the feeding roll assembly, the burst roll assembly and the delivery assembly;
- wherein the first coupon is inserted into a container only after the next coupon is separated from the continuous web.
A method, comprising:
- sequentially positioning, at a predefined bight, coupons of a continuous web of coupons;
- bursting at the predefined bight a foremost coupon from a next coupon of the continuous web of coupons;
- moving the separated foremost coupon to a staging position;
- bursting at the predefined bight the next coupon from a further coupon of the continuous web of coupons;
- and
- inserting the foremost coupon into a container only after the next coupon is separated from the further coupon of the continuous web.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a feeding roll assembly and a burst roll assembly that defines a predefined bight whereby a foremost coupon is separated at the predefined bight from a next coupon of a continuous web of coupons;
- and
- a coupon sensor located before the feeding roll assembly and for locating, at the predefined bight, coupons of the continuous web of coupons.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.