US 5,702,098 AGranted

Envelope closing and sealing apparatus

AssigneePitney Bowes Inc.

InventorsRobert K. Gottlieb, Richard A. Grossman, Michael R. Ifkovits, Philip G. Ruess

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Abstract

An apparatus is disclosed for closing and sealing the flaps of envelopes that have passed through an inserting machine in which collations of insert material have been inserted into the envelopes, and for detecting whether or not certain envelopes cannot be properly closed and sealed and for separating such envelopes from those that are properly closed and sealed. The apparatus is constructed and arranged such that if insert material is improperly inserted into the envelope such that the flap cannot turn freely about the crease line that connectes the flap to the envelopem, the flap will remain substantially in the flat, extended position it occupies when the envelope enters the closing and sealing apparatus. That position of the flap is sensed and the envelope is then diverted from the normal path of properly closed and sealed envelopes into a collection bin for retreival by an operator.

Claims6

Dependent claims

Apparatus for closing and sealing the flaps of envelopes that have passed through an inserting machine in which collations of insert material have been inserted into the envelopes, and for detecting whether or not certain envelopes cannot be properly closed and sealed and for separating such envelopes from those that are properly closed and sealed, said apparatus comprising

A. means defining a feed path along which envelopes are fed into said flap closing and sealing apparatus from an inserting machine,
B. means for feeding envelopes along said feed path with the flaps thereof lying in the plane of said envelopes in an extended positon beyond the crease line of the envelopes,
C. means disposed in said feed path for normally turning said flaps through approximately 180.degree. along said crease line to substantially close said flaps against said rear surface of said envelopes, and for maintaining said flaps in said extended position if said flaps encounter any resistance to being turned freely about said crease line,
D. detecting means disposed in said feed path in position to detect the presence of an envelope with said flap having been maintained in said extended position, and
E. means responsive to operation of said detecting means detecting an envelope with said flap lying in said extended position for ejecting such envelope from said feed path,
whereby envelopes with improperly closed flaps are ejected from said feed path and are accessible for manual retrieval without otherwise affecting the operation of the envelope closing and sealing apparatus.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.