US 4,455,809 AGranted

Process and apparatus for manufacturing continuous sealed postal or other envelope assemblies

AssigneeIseto Shiko Co., Ltd.

InventorArthur B. Dallaserra

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Abstract

A process and apparatus for forming a continuous assembly of sealed envelopes having upper and lower sections and comprising at least one insert of the type used as a postal mailer or the like. The process comprises providing continuous upper and lower sheets each comprising transverse weakening lines defining discrete upper and lower sections adapted to be separated along each of the lines, consecutive weakening lines being separated by a substantially constant spacing E1; providing a continuous intermediate sheet comprising transverse weakening lines defining intermediate discrete sheet sections having a width less than the width of the upper and lower sections, consecutive weakening lines being spaced by a substantially constant spacing E2, E2 being less than E1; passing the upper and lower continuous sheets along discrete paths and through drive rollers at the inlet of a sealing station at a velocity V1 equal to the tangential velocity of the drive rollers and passing the continuous intermediate sheet along a path and towards the drive rollers at a velocity velocity V2 less than V1 wherein V2/V1 substantially equals E2/E1. The continuous intermediate sheet is separated to form discrete intermediate sheet sections along each of the weakening lines of the continuous intermediate sheet during passage through a separation station positioned ahead of the drive rollers whereby each of the intermediate sheet sections is positioned between the upper and lower continuous sheets to form the continuous assembly as it enters the drive rollers. The assembly is subsequently sealed.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A process for forming a continuous assembly of sealed envelopes having upper and lower sections and comprising at least one insert of the type used as a postal mailer or the like comprising the steps of:

(a) providing continuous upper and lower sheets each comprising transverse weakening lines defining said upper and lower sections adapted to be separated along each of said lines, consecutive weakening lines being separated by a substantially constant spacing E1;
(b) providing a continuous intermediate sheet comprising transverse weakening lines defining intermediate discrete sheet sections having a width less than the width of said upper and lower sections, consecutive weakening lines being spaced by a substantially constant spacing E2, E2 being less than E1;
(c) passing said upper and lower continuous sheets along discrete paths and through driver rollers at the inlet of a sealing station at a velocity V1 equal to the tangential speed of said drive rollers and passing said continuous intermediate sheet along a path and toward said driver rollers at a velocity V2 less than V1 wherein V2/V1 substantially equals E2/E1;
(d) progressively separating said continuous intermediate sheet to form discrete intermediate sheet sections along each of the weakening lines of said continuous intermediate sheet during passage through a separation station positioned ahead of said drive rollers whereby each of said intermediate sheet sections is positioned between said upper and lower continuous sheets to form said continuous assembly as it enters said drive rollers;
(e) passing said continuous assembly through said sealing station at an average velocity V1 to seal said upper and lower continuous sheets to form said sealed assembly;
and
(f) said step of progressively separating said continuous intermediate sheet comprising first subjecting each of said intermediate sheets to a forceful acceleration at a distance E2 ahead of said driver rollers thereby increasing its velocity to a velocity V3, V3 being substantially greater than V2 so as to achieve a clean separation of successive intermediate sheet sections by ripping them off along the weakening lines on said intermediate continuous sheet and subsequently substantially reducing the velocity of said intermediate sheet section to said average velocity V1 prior to entering said drive rollers.

4 more elements

An apparatus for forming a continuous sealed assembly of mailers or other postal assemblies out of continuous upper, lower, intermediate sheets, each of said sheets comprising longitudinal perforations along its lateral edges adapted to cooperate with feeder means for guiding each of said continuous sheets along respective paths and transverse weakening lines, said transverse weakening lines on said upper sheets being equidistantly spaced with respect to each other to define upper sheet sections, said transverse weakening lines on said intermediate sheet being equidistantly spaced with respect to each other to define intermediate sheet sections, and said transverse weakening lines on said lower sheet being equidistantly spaced with respect to each other to define lower sheet sections, said apparatus comprising:

(a) sealing means for sealing said upper and lower sheets so as to enclose said at least one intermediate sheet action within said upper and lower sheets;
said sealing means further comprising drive rollers positioned at the inlet of said sealing means, said drive rollers being adapted to feed said upper and lower continuous sheets and at least one intermediate sheet section through said sealing means;
(b) first feeder means for moving said upper continous sheet along its path toward said drive rollers at a velocity V1;
(c) second feeder means for moving said intermediate continuous sheet along its path toward said drive rollers;
(d) third feeder means for moving said lower continous sheet along its path toward said drive rollers at a velocity V1;
(e) means adapted to control the speed of said feeder means whereby said second feeder means moves said intermediate continuous sheet toward said drive rollers at a velocity slower than each of said upper and lower continuous sheets, the relative velocities of movement of said upper, lower and intermediate sheets as they approach said drive rollers being proportional to the relative spacings of said weakening lines on each said of upper, lower and intermediate continuous sheets;
(f) separation means for successively separating intermediate sheet sections from said intermediate continuous sheet, said separation means being positioned ahead of said drive rollers and, wherein said separation means comprises cutting means adapted to at least initiate separation of said intermediate sheet sections from said intermediate continuous sheet along said weakening lines, said cutting means being positioned ahead of said drive rollers at a distance equal to about between one and two times the distance between successive transverse weakening lines on said intermediate continuous sheet, and wherein said separation means further comprises an accelerator positioned between said drive roller and said cutting means for intermittently instantaneously increasing the velocity of an intermediate sheet section which has been partially severed by said cutting means, said accelerator being adapted to operate synchronously with said cutting means and wherein said accelerator comprises an elliptical roller;
and
(g) means for feeding each of said discrete intermediate sheet sections from said separation means to said drive rollers between said upper and lower continuous sheets such that the average velocity between the instant of separation and that of entry into the drive rollers is substantially equal to the velocity V1 of said upper and lower continuous sheets.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.