Device and method for generating postal items

A method for generating postal items comprising:

• feeding of first documents or of a group of first documents along a first feed channel;
• identifying at least one of the first documents with an identification device, particularly with a reading device associated with the first feed channel;
• feeding of second documents or of a group of second documents along a second feed channel;
• identifying at least one of the second documents with an identification device, in particular with a reading device associated with the second feed channel;
• transferring the first documents or the groups of first documents from the first feed channel to a collecting channel arranged downstream of the first feed channel, with no stopping of the first documents;
• transferring the second documents of the group of second documents from the second feed channel to the collecting channel arranged downstream of the second feed channel, with no stopping of the second documents, wherein the documents received in the collecting channel are collected as document group, each document group forms the content of a postal item and contains first documents and/or second documents;
• routing the document group in the collecting channel to an envelope stuffing device arranged downstream of the collecting channel;
• in the envelope stuffing device, insertion of the document groups coming from the collecting channel in an envelope for the formation of a postal item;
• wherein the first documents are transported in the first feed channel by a first transport device linearly in a first transport direction, and the second documents are turned in the second feed channel, without stopping the documents, from a second transport direction along a second straight transport line into a third transport direction along a third straight transport line;
• and
• wherein the second documents are transported along the second feed channel first linearly in a horizontal position along the second straight transport direction and are subsequently brought into an at least substantially vertical position and are then deflected from the second transport direction into the third transport direction and are subsequently brought back again into a horizontal position.

A device for generating postal items, comprising:

• a linear first feed channel for feeding first documents of a postal item, the first feed channel including a first transport device, which transports the first documents in a first transport direction along a first straight transport line and a first identification device for identifying the first documents;
• a second feed channel for feeding second documents of a postal item, the second feed channel including a second transport device, which transports the second documents in a second transport direction along a second straight transport line, and a second identification device for identifying the second documents;
• a collecting channel arranged downstream of the first feed channel and downstream of the second feed channel, for receiving first documents or groups of first documents from the first feed channel and/or of second documents or groups of second documents from the second feed channel, wherein the documents received in the collecting channel are collected as document groups, wherein each document group forms the content of a postal item;
• an envelope stuffing device arranged downstream of the collecting channel, in which the document groups coming from the collecting channel are inserted into an envelope;
• wherein the second transport device turns the second documents, without stopping the documents, from the second transport direction along a second straight transport line into a third transport direction along a third straight transport line;
• and
• wherein the second transport device has a twisted transport band that grips the second documents, in order to bring them from a horizontal position into an at least substantially vertical position and back again into a horizontal position.