# US 2014/0150378 A1 · Inter-machine buffer for mailpiece fabrication system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0150378 A1 - Document ID: US20140150378A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/113,973 - Filed: 2012-06-01 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2011-06-03 - Assignees: Pitney Bowes Inc. - Inventors: Carl L. Chapman; Arthur H. DePoi; Boris Rosenfeld; John R. Masotta; Aris Ballestrazzi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140150378A1 ## CPC - B65B 11/00: Wrapping, e.g. partially or wholly enclosing, articles or quantities of material, in strips, sheets or blanks, of flexible material (bundling articles by applying narrow strips or bands of flexible material B65B13/00) - B43M 5/04: automatic - B65B 57/02: responsive to absence, presence, abnormal feed, or misplacement of binding or wrapping material, containers, or packages - B65B 9/06: Enclosing successive articles, or quantities of material, in a longitudinally-folded web, or in a web folded into a tube about the articles or quantities of material placed upon it - B65B: MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING (bundling and pressing devices for cigars A24C1/44; devices for tensioning and securing binders adapted to be supported by the article or articles to be bound B25B25/00; applying closure members to bottles, jars or similar containers B67B1/00-B67B6/00; concurrent cleaning, filling and closing of bottles B67C7/00; emptying bottles, jars, cans, casks, barrels or similar containers B67C9/00) - B43M: BUREAU ACCESSORIES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (stapling devices B25C5/00; devices for temporarily attaching sheets together B42F) ## Abstract A system and method for wrapping sheet material to produce finished mailpieces includes an upstream content module, a downstream mailpiece assembly module including a wrapper module adapted to encapsulate content material, and a buffer module interposing the upstream content and downstream assembly modules. The buffer module includes a plurality of buffer gates adapted to convey the content material from an upstream gate to a downstream gate to maintain a threshold pitch distance between successive pieces of content material. A controller is operatively coupled to the modules and controls the conveyance of content material through the buffer gates. More specifically, the controller coordinates the delivery and insertion of content material into the wrapper module to minimize dry-holes, maintain stresses below a threshold level to ensure continued operation, and optimize system throughput. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for wrapping sheet material to produce finished mailpieces, comprising: an upstream content fabrication module for conveying content material along a feed path; a downstream mailpiece assembly module including a wrapping module adapted to convey a web of sheet material along a downstream conveyance deck, the wrapping module adapted to encapsulate the content material in a tube-shaped wrap to produce wrapped mailpieces; and a buffer module including a plurality of buffer gates disposed in serial arrangement and interposing the upstream content fabrication module and the downstream mailpiece assembly modules, the buffer gates adapted to convey the content material from an upstream buffer gate to a downstream buffer gate to maintain a threshold pitch distance between pieces of content material; and a controller, operatively coupled to the upstream content fabrication module, the downstream mailpiece assembly module and the buffer module, the controller operative to control the conveyance of the content material through the buffer gates to coordinate the delivery and insertion of the content material into the tube-shaped wrap to maintain acceleration in the wrapping module below a threshold level. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1 wherein the buffer module includes a downstream buffer gate and an upstream buffer gate, each of the buffer gates including position sensors for detecting an edge position of each piece of content material, and wherein the controller determines an error signal between a desired pitch distance and an actual pitch distance as measured by the position sensors of each gate. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1 wherein the motion of the wrapping module is governed by a velocity profile and wherein the number of buffer gates is proportional to the velocity profile. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1 wherein buffer module includes at least four (4) buffer gates. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1 wherein the buffer module includes at least six (6) buffer gates. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1 wherein each of the upstream content fabrication modules drive content material along a conveyance deck at a first velocity and wherein each of the downstream mailpiece assembly modules drive wrapping material of the wrapping module along a conveyance deck at a second velocity and wherein the controller is operative to match the first and second velocities to optimize throughput. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The system according to claim 2 wherein each of the buffer gates drives content material along a conveyance deck at a velocity, wherein the velocity of an upstream buffer gate is dependent upon the velocity of a buffer gate immediately downstream of the upstream buffer gate and wherein the controller drives the velocity of the upstream buffer gate to minimize an error in pitch distance between a desired pitch distance and an actual pitch distance. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1 wherein the buffer module includes a downstream buffer gate for conveying content material to the wrapping module and at least one upstream buffer gate for conveying content material to the downstream buffer gate, the upstream buffer gate being controlled by a pitch control algorithm and the downstream buffer gate being controlled by an intercept control algorithm. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1 wherein the threshold level is about 0.5 g's of acceleration. ### Claim 10 A method for integrating a mailpiece fabrication system having an upstream content fabrication system and a downstream mailpiece assembly system, the upstream content fabrication system including a chassis module having a plurality of overhead feeders to build content material and the downstream mailpiece assembly system having a wrapping module for wrapping the content material to produce finished mailpieces, comprising the steps of: calculating a difference in the allowable acceleration between the upstream content fabrication system and the downstream mailpiece assembly system, and buffering content material in a plurality of buffer gates to accommodate the difference in the allowable acceleration. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10 wherein the step of buffering the content material includes buffering content material in at least four (4) buffer gates. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10 wherein the step of buffering the content material includes buffering the content material in at least six (6) buffer gates. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12 further comprising the step of including the step of controlling the velocity of the chassis module to match the velocity of the wrapping module. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13 further comprising the step of controlling the velocity of an upstream buffer gate based upon the velocity of a downstream buffer gate, and controlling the velocity of each to minimize an error in the pitch distance from a desired pitch distance to an actual pitch distance between pieces of content material. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10 wherein the buffer module includes a downstream buffer gate for conveying content material to the wrapping module and at least one upstream buffer gate for conveying content material to the downstream buffer gate, and further comprising the step of controlling the upstream buffer gate in accordance with a pitch control algorithm and controlling the downstream buffer gate in accordance with an intercept control algorithm.