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AssigneePitney Bowes Inc.
InventorsGeorge M. Brookner, Kevin D. Hunter, Walter J. Kulpa, Edward Mailhot
Estimating the term…
An apparatus and method is disclosed for controlling the operation of a mailing machine having a postage meter which includes a thermal printer which transfers wax ink from an ink ribbon to an envelope being fed through the mailing machine, in such a way that the printer cannot operate if the envelope is not is a proper position in the mailing machine to completely cover a feed roller which controls movement of the envelope and the ink ribbon. The mailing machine includes a microprocessor that responds to sensors positioned along the feed path of the envelope to prevent initiation of a printing operation if an envelope is not properly positioned in the mailing machine, and which terminates an ongoing printing operation in the event, either that the envelope becomes skewed with respect to the normal direction of feed such that it will expose a portion of the feed roller, or that the envelope is too short to receive the entire image which is intended to be printed thereon before the trailing edge of the envelope would uncover the feed roller.
A mailing machine for printing an image on an envelope fed in a feed path, the mailing machine comprising:
A method of controlling print means for printing an image on an envelope fed in a feed path through a mailing machine, the mailing machine including first sensing means located a predetermined distance upstream in the feed path from the printing means for detecting the presence of the envelope, the method comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.