US 5,211,384 A · Inserter with diverter for faulty members

Abstract

An in-line inserter device comprises envelope and insert feeding assemblies, an envelope inserting station assembly, a sealing and stacking assembly, and various diverter stations. The envelope feeding assembly withdraws envelopes from a hopper-held envelope stack and conveys them to the inserting station. Each modular insert feeding assembly comprises a hopper-held insert stack disposed above, along, and in line with an insert conveyor. The conveyor, along its track, carries inserts dispensed from the hopper-held insert stacks to the inserting station. Diverter stations are disposed ahead of the envelope inserting station for diversion of envelopes and inserts and ahead of the inserted envelope stacking assembly to divert inserted envelopes, for normal operational purposes and for rectification of sensed faults by rejection and extraction of processed faulty items. Such faults include paper jams, misalignments, absences of inserts, duplication of inserts and envelopes, incorrectly collated inserts, damaged inserts or envelopes, etc. Subsequently to inserting, insert-filled envelopes are conveyed from the inserting station, are sealed, turned, and stacked. Supervision and coordination of the operation of the various assemblies and stations in concert is provided by computer control to efficiently accomplish the inserting of the inserts into the envelopes, further processing and handling thereof, and conveyance of the items in and between subunits of the in-line inserter device.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A diverter system for diverting inserts and envelopes in an inserter, said inserter including an inserting station, means for conveying inserts and means for conveying envelopes to said inserting station, and means for transporting insert-filled envelopes from said inserting station, the diverter system comprising:

means for identifying envelopes and inserts to be stigmatized as faulty;
means for diverting inserts from said means for conveying inserts, said means for diverting inserts including means for diverting inserts stigmatized as faulty;
means for diverting envelopes from said means for conveying envelopes, said means for diverting envelopes including means for diverting envelopes stigmatized as faulty;
means for complementarily associating individual envelopes with particular inserts intended for insertion thereinto, mutually complementarily associated envelopes and inserts being defined as complementary members;
and
means for diverting said complementary members when at least one of said complementary members is stigmatized as faulty.

3 more elements

A method of diverting inserts and envelopes in an inserter, the inserter having a separate normal conveying path for envelopes and a separate normal conveying path for inserts, the method comprising steps of:

complementarily associating individual envelopes with particular inserts intended for insertion thereinto, each thusly complementarily associated individual envelope together with the particular inserts intended for insertion thereinto being defined as a set of complementary members;
detecting faulty envelopes and faulty inserts and designating the thusly detected envelopes and inserts, respectively, as being stigmatized as faulty;
stigmatizing all respective complementarily associated members of said set of complementary members as faulty members when at least one of the members of said set of complementary members is stigmatized as faulty;
and,
diverting said faulty members from the separate normal conveying paths of envelopes and inserts respectively.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Inserter with diverter for faulty members

Life of this patent

Inserter with diverter for faulty members

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20