US 8,237,998 B2Granted

Flexible system for feeding and processing multi-page documents

AssigneePitney Bowes Inc.

InventorsBoris Rozenfeld, Douglas B. Quine, Richard W. Heiden, Arthur H. DePoi

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Abstract

A system for processing documents having fastening devices includes a document transport system and a fastening device detecting station connected to the transport system that is adapted to detect a fastening device securing together pages of a document. The fastening device removing station is adapted to remove a fastening device securing together pages of a document. A scanning station is adapted to scan the pages of a document. A page flipping station is adapted to flip and position pages of a document to be scanned. A systems controller controls the transport system and the stations based on information provided by the fastening device detecting station for a document to be scanned, to cause such document to be processed by the fastening device removing before scanning of the document or by the page flipping station during scanning of the document to be scanned.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A system for feeding and processing documents comprising:

a document transport system adapted to transport documents to document processing stations;
a fastening device detecting station connected to said transport system and adapted to detect a fastening device securing together pages of a document;
a fastening device removing station connected to said transport system, said fastening device removing station adapted to remove a fastening device securing together pages of a document;
a scanning station connected to said transport system, said scanning station adapted to scan the pages of a document;
a page flipping station connected to said transport system, said page flipping station adapted to flip pages of a document having a fastening device securing together pages of a document such that each document page is positioned to be scanned at said scanning station;
and
a systems controller interactively connected to and controlling the operation of said document transport system, said fastening device detecting station, said fastening device removing station, said scanning station and said page flipping station, said systems controller controlling the operation of said transport system and said stations based on information provided to said systems controller by said fastening device detecting station for a document to be scanned at said scanning station, to cause such document to be scanned to be processed by only one of said fastening device removing station to remove a fastening device securing together pages of a document before scanning of said document and said page flipping station during scanning of said document to be scanned, based upon a determined type of fastening device determined by the fastening device detecting station.

4 more elements

A method for feeding and processing documents in a system including a systems controller and a transport system, comprising the steps of:

feeding a document onto the transport system adapted to move the document to a plurality of processing stations;
determining, using the systems controller, if the document pages are secured together by a fastener;
determining, using the systems controller, information regarding any fastener securing the document pages together;
determining, using the systems controller, whether any information is positioned on a document page in a location on said page with respect to any fastener such that such location would preclude subsequent proper processing of said information;
aligning said document to move said document into a proper position for subsequent processing;
routing said document along a first path of travel when information is positioned on a document page in a location on said page with respect to any fastener such that such location would preclude subsequent proper processing of said information, said first routing path of travel including the steps of removing the fastener from said document and feeding the unfastened document pages seriatim and processing said unfastened document pages;
and,
instead of routing said document along the first path of travel, routing said document along a second path of travel, different from the first path of travel, when no information is positioned on a document page in a location on said page with respect to any fastener such that such location would preclude subsequent proper processing of said information, said second routing path of travel including the steps of turning said document pages and processing turned document pages.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/212,770Filed 18 Sep 2008
Published: US 2010/0067071 A118 Mar 2010
Granted: 7 Aug 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification19 codes

H04N 1/00572
Conveying sheets before or after scanning: with refeeding for double-sided scanning, e.g. using one scanning head for both sides of a sheet
H04N 1/00037
Methods therefor: detecting, i.e. determining the occurrence of a predetermined state
H04N 1/0005
Methods therefor: in service, i.e. during normal operation
H04N 1/00063
Methods therefor: using at least a part of the apparatus itself, e.g. self-testing