US 6,370,445 B1Granted

System for controlling feeders of a package assembly apparatus

AssigneeR. R. Donnelley & Sons Company

InventorsLarry A. Olson, James A. Trchka, William T. Montgomery

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Abstract

A system controls a package assembly line. The package assembly line has a piece feeder and a component feeder. The piece feeder is arranged to feed pieces to a transport of the package assembly line. The component feeder is arranged to feed components to the transport of the package assembly line so that the components and the pieces are combined into packages. The components have corresponding component identifiers thereon. The system includes a memory for storing a piece data file having piece identifiers corresponding to pieces fed by the piece feeder, a detector for detecting a component identifier from a component being fed by the component feeder toward the transport, a comparator for comparing the detected component identifier to a corresponding piece identifier, and in response to the comparison controlling the feeding of a component or rejecting a component.

Claims40

Dependent claims

A system for use in connection with a package assembly line, wherein the package assembly line has a piece feeder, a component feeder, and a transport, wherein the piece feeder is arranged to feed first and second pieces to the transport, wherein the component feeder is arranged to feed first and second components to the transport, wherein the first component has a first component identifier thereon, and wherein the second component has a second component identifier thereon, the system comprising:

a memory, wherein the memory stores a component sequence list containing component identifiers corresponding to a desired sequence in which components are to be fed by the component feeder;
a detector, wherein the detector is arranged to detect the first component identifier from the first component as the first component is fed by the component feeder toward the transport;
a comparator, wherein the comparator is arranged to compare the first component identifier to the component sequence list;
a component rejecter, wherein the component rejecter is responsive to the comparator to reject the first component if the first component identifier fails to match the component sequence list;
and,
a queue arranged to store a piece identifier if a corresponding component identifier is missing.

3 more elements

A system for use in connection with a package assembly line, wherein the package assembly line has a piece feeder and a component feeder, wherein the piece feeder is arranged to feed pieces to a transport of the package assembly line, wherein the component feeder is arranged to feed components to the transport of the package assembly line so that the components and the pieces are combined into packages, and wherein the components have corresponding component identifiers thereon, the system comprising:

a memory, wherein the memory stores a piece data file, wherein the piece data file contains piece identifiers grouped by postal break, and wherein the piece identifiers correspond to pieces fed by the piece feeder;
a detector, wherein the detector is arranged to detect a component identifier from a component being fed by the component feeder to the transport;
a comparator, wherein the comparator is arranged to compare the detected component identifier to piece identifiers up to a corresponding postal break in the piece data file;
and,
a controller, wherein the controller is arranged to control feeding of the component to the transport in response to the detected component identifier.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/148,213Filed 4 Sep 1998 · division
Priority: 11 Oct 1995
Granted: 9 Apr 2002
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

B65H 39/02
Associating, collating, or gathering articles or webs: associating,collating or gathering articles from several sources
B42C 1/10
Collating or gathering sheets combined with processes for permanently attaching together sheets or signatures or for interposing inserts: machines…
B65H 2301/4311
Features with regard to the collection, nature, sequence and/or the making thereof: making personalised books or mail packets according to…
B65H 2511/40
Dimensions; Position; Numbers; Identification; Occurrences: identification