Sheet collation device and method
AssigneePitney Bowes Inc.
InventorJohn W. Sussmeier
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A collating device that collates one or more sheets of paper into a sheet collation that includes an input end that receives individual sheets and an output end through which passes the sheet collation. A plurality of sheet paths are provided each providing a sheet path between the input end and the output end. Each sheet path includes a switching mechanism located in proximity to the input end that is operative to selectively direct a sheet received in the input end to the associated sheet path and a drive mechanism operative to vary the speed at which a sheet is conveying in the sheet path associated with the drive mechanism to effectuate a common collation with other sheets being conveyed through other sheet paths.
Claims20
A collating device that collates one or more sheets of paper into a sheet collation, the collating device comprising:
- an input end that receives individual sheets;
- an output end through which passes the sheet collation;
- a plurality of sheet paths each providing a sheet path between the input end and the output end, each sheet path including:
- a switching mechanism located in proximity to the input end operative to selectively direct a sheet received in the input end to the associated sheet path;
- a drive mechanism operative to vary the speed at which a sheet is conveying in the sheet path associated with the drive mechanism to effectuate a common collation with other sheets being conveyed through other sheet paths.
A method of collating a plurality of individual sheets wherein the sheets enter in seriatim at an entry point and become at least partially overlapped with each other at an exiting point, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a plurality of paths connecting the entry point and the exiting point, each path having a different path length;
- controlling said paths so as to allow each sheet of a collation to travel a different path such that a sheet succeeding a preceding sheet of a collation entering the entry point travels a different length path than the preceding sheet;
- and
- varying the rate of speed at which a sheet travels through each of the plurality of paths.
An inserter system that collates one or more sheets of paper fed in seriatim from a sheet supplying device to a collating device, the collating device comprising:
- an input end that receives individual sheets from the sheet supplying device;
- an output end through which passes the sheet collation;
- a plurality of sheet paths each providing a sheet path between the input end and the output end, each sheet path including:
- a switching mechanism located in proximity to the input end operative to selectively direct a sheet received in the input end to the associated sheet path;
- a drive mechanism operative to vary the speed at which a sheet is conveying in the sheet path associated with the drive mechanism to effectuate a common collation with other sheets being conveyed through the plurality of sheet paths.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.