US3458383A - Mailing piece separator - Google Patents

Mailing piece separator Download PDF

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Publication number
US3458383A
US3458383A US460796A US3458383DA US3458383A US 3458383 A US3458383 A US 3458383A US 460796 A US460796 A US 460796A US 3458383D A US3458383D A US 3458383DA US 3458383 A US3458383 A US 3458383A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
mailing
switch
mark
mailing piece
conveyor
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US460796A
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English (en)
Inventor
Harry V Kirk
Robert Dufour
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Cheshire Inc
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Cheshire Inc
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Cheshire Inc filed Critical Cheshire Inc
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Publication of US3458383A publication Critical patent/US3458383A/en
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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
    • B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
    • B07C3/00—Sorting according to destination
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
    • B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
    • B07C1/00—Measures preceding sorting according to destination
    • B07C1/02—Forming articles into a stream; Arranging articles in a stream, e.g. spacing, orientating
    • B07C1/04—Forming a stream from a bulk; Controlling the stream, e.g. spacing the articles
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10S209/00—Classifying, separating, and assorting solids
    • Y10S209/90—Sorting flat-type mail
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
    • Y10T156/00—Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
    • Y10T156/17—Surface bonding means and/or assemblymeans with work feeding or handling means
    • Y10T156/1702—For plural parts or plural areas of single part
    • Y10T156/1744—Means bringing discrete articles into assembled relationship
    • Y10T156/1768—Means simultaneously conveying plural articles from a single source and serially presenting them to an assembly station

Definitions

  • a mailing piece separator having a first conveyor for advancing normally aligned mailing pieces to a second conveyor where a predetermined mailing piece is offset with respect to the others by a stop.
  • This invention relates to a mailing piece separator designed for use in connection with a labeling machine such as one of the general type shown in the copending application of Harry V. Kirk and James E. Doane, Ser. No. 505,930, filed Nov. 1, 1965.
  • One object of the invention is to provide a mailing piece separator which separates mailing pieces (as to towns or states for instance) by offsetting the first mailing piece of a given town or state with respect to a series of mailing pieces shingled on a conveyor so that the operator, without having to scan the addresses, knows when mailing pieces for a different town or state are coming up on the conveyor and can accordingly separate them into individual bundles, such as third class bulk mail which is now required by postal regulations to be separated according to towns or states.
  • Another object is to provide means for offsetting from normal alignment a mailing piece having a predetermined label comprising means for sensing a mark on such predetermined label, a normal stop for the mailing pieces as they are delivered by the labeling machine onto the conveyor and a secondary stop on the conveyor beyond the normal stop, the sensing means being operable to render the normal stop inoperative.
  • Still another object is to provide a mailing piece separator wherein electrically operated means is responsive to the sensing means and is energized by the sensing means when it senses a mark on a label, whereupon it removes the normal stop from the path of a mailing piece and the mailing piece passes the normal stop and engages the secondary stop.
  • a further object is to provide sensing means located a predetermined number of labels ahead of a mailing piece having a predetermined label when that particular mailing piece reaches the normal stop and a memory unit responsive to the sensing means and operable to render the onrmal stop inoperative such predetermined number of labels later than the operation of the sensing means.
  • Still a further object is to provide a memory unit comprising a rotor, displaceable switch actuating elements carried thereby, a displacement actuator for the elements, the displacement actuator being responsive to the sensing means, a switch actuatable by a displaced actuator, electrically operated means actuated by the switch to eifect the rendering of the normal stop inoperative and means for driving the rotor in such timed relation to the cycling of the labeling machine that a displaceable actuator passes the displacement actuator each such cycle.
  • An additional object is to provide the sensing means responsive to a mark on a label which is in a different position than the first referred to mark and which is operable to stop the labeling machine for the purpose of changing imprint plates or the like such as for groups "ice of mailing pieces imprinted with different dealers names.
  • Another additional object is to provide for manual restarting of the labeling machine once the imprint plate has been changed.
  • our invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of our mailing piece separator, whereby the objects above contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in our claims and illustrated in detail on the accompanying drawings, wherein:
  • FIG. 1 is a plan view of a label strip, and associated therewith for timing comparison are diagrams of three switches with respect to their circuit-controlling positions;
  • FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of a labeling machine and certain elements of our mailing piece separator associated therewith;
  • FIG. 3 is a plan view, partially in section, of a portion of FIG. 2 as indicated by the line 33 thereon;
  • FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view of a memory unit and electrical elements and circuits for our mailing piece separator
  • FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of a modified portion of FIG. 4.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates a label strip 20 being fed from a roll 20 thereof into the labeling machine 21 and a plan View of a portion of this strip is shown in FIG. 1.
  • Individual labels are indicated 22 separated by parting lines indicated at 24, the labeling machine shearing the successive labels at the parting lines from the label strip 20 by means of a knife roll 26 having a knife 27 coacting with an anvil roll 28 in the usual manner whereupon the individual labels 22 are carried by a labeling drum 30 and deposited on the mailing pieces such as 19 and 18, one label (identified 0) having already been applied to the mailing piece 18 whereas the next label (identified P) is about to be applied to the mailing piece 19.
  • a back-up drum 32 opposes the labeling drum 30 in the usual manner to accomplish the labeling operation.
  • the actual labels 22 may be glued or otherwise adhesively secured to the mailing pieces 18, 19, etc., or wax impressions on the labels may be transferred by heat directly to the mailing pieces and the labels discarded or reused as stick-on labels, or impressions on the label strip 20 may be otherwise transferred from the individual labels to the individual mailing pieces.
  • a plurality of address areas 34 are shown on the label strip 20 and are identified by letters K, L, M, N, O and P on the successive labels 22.
  • the K address area 34 has thereadjacent a first mark identified 36 and the N address area 34 has thereadjacent a second mark 38.
  • the relative positions of these marks are shown adjacent the L address area 34.
  • These marks are adapted to be sensed by a sensing means 40 shown in FIG. 2 such as an electric eye or photoelectric cell.
  • the sensing means electrically cooperates with a gating switch 42, a first mark switch 44 and a second mark switch 46 in the manner shown in FIG. 4 which switches are controlled by cams 47, 48 and 49, respectively.
  • the three cams are on a cam shaft 50 located in a memory unit 52 (shown also in FIG. 2).
  • the gating switch 42 is closed during the time that the marks 36 and 38 pass the sensing means 40 (shown dotted at the left end of FIG. 1) so as to ready the circuit for operation by either of the switches 44 or 46.
  • the switch 44 is ON" but is OFF at all other times.
  • the second mark 38 passes the sensing means 40 the second mark switch 46 is ON as illustrated in this figure but is OFF at all other times.
  • the L address block 34 illustrates by dotted lines the relatively posltlons of the first and second marks 36 and 38 in a rectangular area 54 (FIG. 1) the length of which corresponds to the CLOSED condition of the gating switch 42.
  • the memory unit 52 includes a rotor 56 carrying a plurality of displaceable switch-actuating elements 58 and a displacement actuator 60 adapted to be rendered operative by a solenoid 62.
  • the actuating elements 58 are radially slidable in the rotor 56 and held in either their inner or outer positions by suitable friction or detent means exerting sufficient forces to permit any actuating element in its outer position to actuate a stop switch 64 which in turn is operable to energize a solenoid 66.
  • a normal stop element 68 occupies the position illustrated in FIG.
  • the conveyor belt 82 projects the mailing pieces onto the conveyor belts 84 which travel at a constant speed and the mailing pieces are thus shingled onto the belts 84.
  • the solenoid 62 is shown energized by reason of the cam 48 having closed the switch 44 (42, 44, 46 and 64 all being normally open) and therefore has slid the actuating element with which the displacement actuator 60 cooperates to an outer position. Accordingly, this actuating element at four position later will close the switch 64 in an obvious manner. Any actuating element that is thus pushed outwardly will again be pushed inwardly to condition it for the next operation whenever that may occur by stationary actuating element return member 72.
  • the displacement actuator 60 normally occupies a position against a stop pin 74 when the solenoid 62 is deenergized.
  • the labeling machine 21 is driven by a motor 76 through a speed-reducer 78 terminating in an output pulley 80 or the like which is operatively connetced by means of timing belts, gears or the like to a belt conveyor 81, to the knife roll 26 and the anvil roll 28 (usually geared together), to the labeling drum 30 and the back-up drum 32 (usually geared together), to a belt conveyor 82 for conveying the mailing pieces from the drums 30 and 32 to a belt conveyor 84, to the shaft 85 of the belt conveyor 84, and to the cam shaft 50 as shown by six dotted-line arrows in FIG. 2.
  • the rotor 56 of the memory unit 52 is mounted on a shaft 86 which may be driven by a timing belt 88 as shown in FIG. 4 from the cam shaft 50.
  • the rolls 2.6 and 28, the drum 30 and 32 and the cam shaft 50 are designed to rotate once each cycle of operation of the labeling machine 21 and the actuating elements 58 to advance one station (8 being shown) each cycle of operation.
  • a motor switch 90 of latching relay type is provided having a solenoid 92 under control of the second mark switch 46 and is provided with holding contacts 94 to retain the motor switch 90 in open circuit position once it is moved to that position by energization of the solenoid 92 regardless of opening of the second mark switch 46 thereafter.
  • a start switch 96 is provided to break the holding circuit so that the motor switch recloses at the will of the operator.
  • FIG. 4 illustrates current supply wires 98 and 100 for the electric eye 40, the switches 42, 44, 46, 64, 90, 94 and 96 for the solenoids 62, 66 and 92 and for an amplifier 102 of usual type for the electric eye 40.
  • Heavy wires show the supply of current from the current supply wires 98 and 100 to the various components mentioned and light wires show the interconnections between the components.
  • the electric eye 40 is connected to the input of the amplifier 102 whereas the output from the amplifier is connected to the gating switch 42.
  • the output from the gating switch 42 is supplied to both switches 44 and 46 so that when either or both of them is closed while the gating switch 42 is closed, their respective solenoid 62 or 92 will be energized in response to both the closure of these three switches by their cams 47, 48 and 49 in accordance with the CLOSED-OPEN and ON-OFF circuit conditions illustrated in the three graph lines for the switches 42, 44 and 46 at the bottom of FIG. 1. Accordingly, the gating switch 42 will permit operation of the switches 44 and/ or 46 only during the timing represented by the area 54 in FIG. 1 as the address areas 34 may have markings extending into the path of the electric eye 40 which are not desirable for the electric eye to sense. Actuation of the solenoids 62 and/or 66 occurs only if a mark 36 and/or 38 is sensed by the sensing means 40.
  • the K address block 34 has a first mark 36 which is scanned adjacent the rolls 26 and 28 in FIG. 2 but thisparticular label does not reach the normal stop 68 until four cycles later. Accordingly, the memory unit 52 is required, set for four cycles as between actuation of an actuating element 58 by the displacement actuator 60 and actuation of the stop switch 64 by that particular actuating element, whereupon the stop 68 is elevated by energization of the solenoid 62 and the mailing piece 14 bearing the K address label is accordingly a1- lowing to be projected by the conveyor 82 on past the stop 68 to engage the secondary stop element 70 as illustrated in FIG. 3. Therefore, the operator knows that the mailing pieces 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 go to one town and those from 14 on (until another mailing piece is offset) go to another town.
  • the motor switch opens the circuit to the motor 76 and the labeling machine 21 is stopped until the next dealers imprint plate replaces the former plate whereupon the machine can be energized for further operation by opening the starting switch 96 to-break the holding circuit for the solenoid 92.
  • FIG. 5 illustrates diagrammatically a binding machine 104 which is substituted in the circuit in place of the normal stop solenoid 66.
  • the machine 104 is thus under control of the switch 64 which in turn is under control of the solenoid 62 and the first mark switch 44. Accordingly, instead of the mailing piece 14 for example being offset, the binding machine 104 would operate to automatically bind the mailing pieces through No.
  • the operator by using our mailing piece separator, may readily bundle separated pieces for delivery to the post ofiice. There is no costly hand separating as normally required which would consist of scanning the towns on the labels 22 and spotting a change in town. These labeling machines operate up to 20,000 mailing pieces per hour and it is therefore evident that scanning the addresses is a considerable job fraught with possible inaccuracies.
  • Our mailing piece separator speeds handling of mailing pieces from the conveyor permitting increased labeling or addressing volume by reason of our kick out feature which throws a desired mailing piece out of line with the others (such as the mailing piece 14 in FIG. 3).
  • FIG. 4 A simplified electric circuit is shown in FIG. 4 using the usual photoelectric cell at 40 and a suitable amplifier for the signal generated at the sensing element so that the output from the amplifier can actuate solenoids and the like.
  • small signal currents might be used to actuate power relays such as usual in the design of labeling machines and the like, and even hydraulic and/or pneumatic circuits might be added but since this is common practice in the art we have not gone into detail with respect to such circuits where used.
  • the memory unit 52 Since the inherent design of a labeling machine dictates the location of the sensing unit several cycles displaced from the point of control for offsetting a mailing piece, the memory unit 52 provides a simple means of justification for this difiference and results in accurately offsetting the desired mailing piece to indicate a change of towns or the like.
  • the second mark 38 results in stoppage of the labeling machine so that a multigraph plate or the like can be changed for any desired purpose such as a different dealer.
  • a mailing piece separator the combination with a labeling machine which labels individual mailing pieces and aligns them in a normal formation on a conveyor, of means for offsetting from such normal alignment a mailing piece having a predetermined label comprising means for sensing a mark associated with said predetermined label, a normal stop for said mailing pieces as they are delivered by said labeling machine to said conveyor, a secondary stop on said conveyor beyond said normal stop, and means responsive to said sensing means for rendering said normal stop inoperative said sensing means being located a predetermined number of labels ahead of said mailing piece having a predetermined label when it reaches said normal stop and a memory unit is provided responsive to said sensing means and operable to render said normal stop inoperative said predetermined number of labels later than the operation of said sensing means.
  • said memory unit comprises a rotor, displaceable switch actuating elements carried thereby, a displacement actuator for said elements, said displacement actuator being responsive to said sensing means, a switch actuatable by a displaced actuator, electrically operated means controlled by said switch to efiect the rendering of said normal stop inoperative and means for driving said rotor in such timed relation to the cycling of said labeling machine that a displaceable actuator passes said displacement actuator each such cycle.
  • a mailing piece separator according to claim 2 wherein means is provided for returning any displaced actuator to non-displaced position after it actuates said switch and before it returns to a position for actuation by said displacement actuator.
  • a mailing piece separator according to claim 1 wherein the labeling machine is motor operated, said sensing means senses a second mark associated with said mailing piece, a motor switch is provided for the motor of the labeling machine, and means is provided responsive to actuation of said sensing means by such second mark to open said motor switch.
  • a mailing piece separator according to claim 4 wherein a holding circuit is provided for said motor switch in its open position, and a starting switch is provided to break the holding circuit.
  • a mailing piece separator wherein a gating switch, a first mark switch and a second mark switch are provided to cooperate with said sensing means in the control of said normal stop and said motor switch, said gating switch controlling the circuit to said first mark switch and said second mark switch and being cam-operated to limit the operation of said sensing means to a portion only of each label.
  • a mailing piece separator according to claim 6 wherein said first mark switch and said second mark switch are cam-operated to select the response of said sensing means to said first mark for operation of said normal stop to non-stop position only and said second mark for operation of said motor switch only.
  • a mailing piece separator including a first conveyor whereby mailing pieces are conveyed in a normally aligned formation a second conveyor mounted adjacent said first con veyor, said separator including means to olfset from such normal alignment a mailing piece having a predetermined mark associated therewith comprising means for sensing the mark,

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  • Labeling Devices (AREA)
  • Sorting Of Articles (AREA)
US460796A 1965-06-02 1965-06-02 Mailing piece separator Expired - Lifetime US3458383A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US46079665A 1965-06-02 1965-06-02

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US3458383A true US3458383A (en) 1969-07-29

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US460796A Expired - Lifetime US3458383A (en) 1965-06-02 1965-06-02 Mailing piece separator

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US (1) US3458383A (de)
CH (1) CH497927A (de)
DE (1) DE1524615C3 (de)
GB (1) GB1111847A (de)

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3557949A (en) * 1968-01-22 1971-01-26 Harold Washington Automatic mail sorter
US3654040A (en) * 1970-01-12 1972-04-04 Xerox Corp Stacker with a labeling machine
US3891492A (en) * 1973-07-17 1975-06-24 Xerox Corp Article labeling apparatus and label form therefor
US3915785A (en) * 1973-03-09 1975-10-28 Grapha Holding Ag Labelling machine
US4014784A (en) * 1974-04-02 1977-03-29 W. A. Krueger Co. Sorting apparatus
US4201617A (en) * 1979-04-03 1980-05-06 Bell & Howell Company UV Label sprayer for segregating mail
US5651543A (en) * 1995-08-02 1997-07-29 Pitney Bowes Inc. Envelope offset apparatus
US5709525A (en) * 1995-08-02 1998-01-20 Pitney Bowes Inc. Envelope stacker

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3676136D1 (de) * 1985-08-19 1991-01-24 Gretag Ag Verfahren und vorrichtung zum verteilen von einzelobjekten auf mehrere transportbahnen.

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2465215A (en) * 1948-06-25 1949-03-22 Post Machinery Co Shutter mechanism for photoelectric counters
US2618386A (en) * 1945-07-11 1952-11-18 Ibm Record card sorting device
US2783389A (en) * 1950-05-31 1957-02-26 Upjohn Co Marking inspection device
US3072253A (en) * 1960-05-25 1963-01-08 Cheshire Inc Machine for conveying labeled articles and sorting same
US3136423A (en) * 1961-02-28 1964-06-09 Int Standard Electric Corp Document processing system
US3199420A (en) * 1963-04-18 1965-08-10 Smithe Machine Co Inc F L Envelope counter

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2618386A (en) * 1945-07-11 1952-11-18 Ibm Record card sorting device
US2465215A (en) * 1948-06-25 1949-03-22 Post Machinery Co Shutter mechanism for photoelectric counters
US2783389A (en) * 1950-05-31 1957-02-26 Upjohn Co Marking inspection device
US3072253A (en) * 1960-05-25 1963-01-08 Cheshire Inc Machine for conveying labeled articles and sorting same
US3136423A (en) * 1961-02-28 1964-06-09 Int Standard Electric Corp Document processing system
US3199420A (en) * 1963-04-18 1965-08-10 Smithe Machine Co Inc F L Envelope counter

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3557949A (en) * 1968-01-22 1971-01-26 Harold Washington Automatic mail sorter
US3654040A (en) * 1970-01-12 1972-04-04 Xerox Corp Stacker with a labeling machine
US3915785A (en) * 1973-03-09 1975-10-28 Grapha Holding Ag Labelling machine
US3891492A (en) * 1973-07-17 1975-06-24 Xerox Corp Article labeling apparatus and label form therefor
US4014784A (en) * 1974-04-02 1977-03-29 W. A. Krueger Co. Sorting apparatus
US4201617A (en) * 1979-04-03 1980-05-06 Bell & Howell Company UV Label sprayer for segregating mail
US5651543A (en) * 1995-08-02 1997-07-29 Pitney Bowes Inc. Envelope offset apparatus
US5709525A (en) * 1995-08-02 1998-01-20 Pitney Bowes Inc. Envelope stacker

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE1524615A1 (de) 1970-08-13
DE1524615C3 (de) 1974-02-21
CH497927A (de) 1970-10-31
GB1111847A (en) 1968-05-01
DE1524615B2 (de) 1973-07-19

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