EP0082979B1

EP0082979B1 - Document handling apparatus

Info

Publication number: EP0082979B1
Application number: EP19820111118
Authority: EP
Inventors: Adolph Broaddus Habich; Ronald Eugene Hunt
Original assignee: International Business Machines Corp
Current assignee: International Business Machines Corp
Priority date: 1981-12-29
Filing date: 1982-12-02
Publication date: 1986-02-26
Also published as: DE3269503D1; EP0082979A1; JPS6356139B2; JPS58116190A

Description

This invention relates to document handling apparatus. Specifically, it relates to an apparatus to accomplish in a high speed printing environment the feed from and delivery back to a divided hopper of envelopes on edge.
U.S. patent 4,222,557 discloses for a printer, a platen driven document handling attachment with rear feed for on edge documents in one hopper. The attachment comprises at least two distinct hoppers, one for the documents to be processed and oneforthe processed documents, and transporting means for bringing the fresh documents from the first hopper to the processing platen and then from the platen to the second hopper.
A similar document handling mechanism is disclosed in DE-A-2 854 695.
. U.S. patent 3,372,923 presents a picker roller for documents superimposed in a stack on edge. The picker roller has formed in its periphery a knife edge which when placed adjacent the bottom of the stack projects upwards by an amount less than the thickness efthe thinnest document to be transported. The picker edge engages the endmost card when it is rotated counterclockwise to buckle this card which upon continued rotation of the picker roller springs back into a nip formed by the picker roller and a feed roller. The picker roller is smooth. The feed roller has a high coefficient of friction with regard to the document to be fed. At this point, the direction of the picker roller can be reversed and because of the relation of the coefficient of friction, the document is fed by substantially sliding over the surface of the picker roller.
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 11, No. 10, March 1969, page 1201 to Lyon teaches having a belt at the base of a hopper for urging documents on edge to a picking area.
The subject-matter of the present invention as is claimed in claim 1, provides a simple attachment for a printer whereby envelopes placed on edge may be fed from and delivered to a single, divided hopper. Endless belts which pass in part through the floor of the hopper assist in urging the printed envelopes away from the output throat area and into the output area of the hopper. The movable bail which can be spring biased, acts as a hopper separator and urges fresh envelopes toward the picking section of the hopper. The use of a single, divided hopper, combined with a movable separator permits to save substantial space since, in the conventional arrangements including distinct hoppers for the fresh and processed documents, respectively (e.g. US-A-4,222,557), the two hoppers are spaced apart with sheet transporting means arranged between them. Furthermore, each of said distinct hoppers need be large enough to contain the totality of documents to be processed, whereas the single hopper of the present invention need be of substantially the same size as any one of said distinct hoppers of the prior art.
In the attached drawings:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an envelope hopper in accordance with the present invention mounted on the sheet feed device attached to a printer.
Fig. 2 shows a more detailed rear view of the hopper and the connection between hopper and printer.
Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of hopper 10 and includes the complete envelope transport path.
Fig. 4 through 6 illustrate, step by step, envelope picking, buckling, and entry into the transport path.
Fig. 7 and 8 illustrate the output throat area of the transport path.
Fig. 9 illustrates an alternative arrangement of the envelope transport path.

Referring now to Fig. 1, the combination hopper 10 of the present invention is illustrated connected to a sheet handling attachment 12 for a high speed printer 14 which may be part of a word processing or other office automation system. In present systems of this type the need often arises for the preparation of letters and their associated envelopes. The illustrated device contemplates the batch preparation of letters followed by batch printing of the envelopes. That is, after the desired documents have been printed, the combination envelope hopper 10 of the instant invention is attached so as to be operatively connected to and driven by the platen 16 of printer 14.
The connection of hopper 10 to sheet feed device 12 is achieved on one side by spring biased plunger 22 which mates with a hole (not visible) in sheet feed device side wall 20. The opposite end of shaft 18 which extends the width of hopper 10 terminates in an entry to a gear train drivingly connected with platen 16. This connection will be discussed in greater detail with reference to Fig. 2.
As illustrated, hopper 10 includes an input area 30 and output area 32 divided by a bail 34. Bail 34 is biased toward the back of hopper 10 by spring 36 for dynamically adjusting the relative sections on either side thereof. The output area 32 includes transport guides 38. Hopper side walls 40 and 42 connected by back wall 44 complete the external structure of hopper 10. Mounted substantially at' the center of the top edge of back wall 44 is envelope top restraint 46.
Hopper floor 50 includes spaced apart apertures 52 which allow two endless belts 56 to comprise part of floor 50. Attached to the inner surfaces of transport guides 38 in close proximity to endless belts 56 are two leaf springs 58 which assist in envelope delivery back into hopper 10.
Leaf springs 58 will be described in more detail having reference to Figs. 7 and 8.
Refer now to Fig. 2 which is a rear cutaway perspective view of hopper 10 and its driving mechanism.
Shaft 18 is shown with its associated spring loaded plunger 22 for resiliently lodging hopper 10 in one side of sheet handling apparatus 12 of Fig. 1. The opposite end of shaft 18 terminates in a coupling member 24 adapted to engage cone drive roller 60 for rotation therewith.
Cone roller 60 is driven by platen 16 through a gear train 61 comprising gears 62, 64, and 66. Motive power from platen 16, which is driven by appropriate printer controls which form no part of the present invention, is transmitted through gear train 61 to coupling 24 and shaft 18. Cone roller 60 drives shaft 18 clockwise in the direction of arrow 71. Gear 70 is mounted on and for rotation with shaft 18. Gear 70 drivingly engages gear 72 mounted on shaft 73. Gear 72 is thus driven counterclockwise. Gear 72 is in driving engagement with gear 74 mounted on shaft 75 which is thus driven to rotate in the same direction as shaft 18. Shaft 75 has two pulleys 76 mounted thereon. Endless belts 56 are trained over pulleys 76. Belts 56 continue around pulleys 80 and 82 in apertures 52 in floor 50 of hopper 10. Because the endless belt passing through the apertures 52 in floor 50 of hopper 10 are identically arranged and driven, the same reference numerals have been given to corresponding parts to simplify the description by requiring a discussion of only one of such identical sets.
Also fixedly attached to shaft 75 is a pulley 84 about which one loop of endless belt 86 is trained. The other loop of endless belt 86 is on pulley 88 mounted on shaft 89. Shaft 89 rests in groove 100 formed in the base 50 of hopper 10. Shaft 89 is held down by the tension in belt 86. Coaxial with pulley 88 on shaft 89 is picker wheel 90. Its backup roller 92 is located adjacent to and on an axis parallel to that of pulley 88.
The driving connection from driven gear 70 to gear 77 on shaft 89 will now be described. Gear 77 is the driving means for shaft 89 and thus picker 90. Gear 72 rotating counterclockwise drives gear 78 in a clockwise direction. Gear 78 drives gear 79 and 95 in a clockwise direction. Gear 95 drives gear 96 in a counterclockwise direction and gear 96 engages gear 97 to drive it in a cidckwise direction. Gear 97 engages gear 77 to drive it in clockwise direction, the original direction of driven gear 70 on shaft 18. The illustrated and described gear train is an exemplary embodiment only. Obviously, those skilled in the art will understand that other gear reduction mechanisms may be designed to drive picker 90 off the platen 16 of the associated printer without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-section of hopper 10. The same structural components as shown in previous figures are identified by the same reference numerals. Fig. 3 is a simplified view of the complete envelope transport path followed by an envelope 104 from the input section 30 of hopper 10 to the hopper output section 32.
Upper envelope restraint 46 aids in keeping envelopes in proper alignment for being picked and fed. Once picked, an envelope 104 moves in the direction of arrow 120 through the throat created by feed roller 88 coaxial with picker roller 90 and the associated backup roller 92. Envelope 104 enters on a path formed by continuously rotating belt 86 and rear guide 122. Rear guide 122 is part of sheet handling apparatus 12 and not visible in Fig. 2. The envelope continues in the direction of arrow 124 between platen 16 and bottom guide member 126. The print station is not shown.
The envelope 104 is then guided in the direction of arrow 130 between continuous belt 56 and front transport guide 38 until it reaches output throat area 134 which includes leaf spring 58 for urging the envelope 104, in print order, into section 32 of hopper 10.
The bottom edge of the envelope comes in contact with endless belt 56 which passes through floor 50 (Fig. 1) and leaf spring 58 urges the envelope 104 in the direction of arrow 140 to make room for the next envelope to be fed.
Figs. 4, 5, and 6 will be discussed together as they illustrate in greater detail the picking action of picker roller 90. A picking lip 92 is provided on picker 90 for engaging the edge of the rearmost envelope 104 in input area 30 of hopper 10. As picker 90 rotates clockwise envelope 104 is engaged by lip 91 and is buckled as shown in Fig. 5. Further clockwise rotation of picker roller 90 causes the envelope 104 to snap over the picker roller 90 and into the nip formed by pulley 88 and backup roller 92.
It will be recalled from Figs. 2 that picker roller 90 and pulley 88 are coaxially mounted in spaced apart relation on shaft 89. When envelope 104 snaps over picker 90, the envelope flexes to some extent in entering the feed nip since picker 90 is larger in diameter than pulley 88.
Figs. 7 and 8 are an enlarged views of the output throat area 134 of Fig. 3. Low force leaf spring 58 is attached to transport guide 38. In its rest position leaf spring 58 conforms generally to the periphery of pulley 80 about which endless belt 56 is trained. When an envelope 104 travelling between front guide 38 and endless belt 56 enters throat area 134 it is gently urged by leaf spring 58 around pulley 80. The strength of leaf spring 58 is such that, as envelope 104 continues its upward movement, leaf spring 58 moves into the position shown in Fig. 8 at which point the bottom_' edge of envelope 104 comes under the influence of moving endless belt 56 and is urged into the output area 32 of hopper 10, thereby clearing output throat area 134.
The operation of the present invention is controlled by the printer to which it is attached. The present envelope handling device is intended for batch printing. The gear ratio of the driving connection between platen 16 and picker roller 90 (Fig. 2) is such that the envelope picked during each revolution of picker 90 enters the transport path in timed relation to that preceding. In other words, the space between succeeding envelopes is optimized in relation to the print speed.
A printer for which the present invention is a suitable attachment is provided with a sensor adjacent the platen to monitor the position of an envelope and indicate when the first writing line is reached.
Fig. 9 is an alternative embodiment of the transport path of the present invention. Those structural elements which are the same as the first described embodiment are given the same reference numerals. This modification, however, involves one rather than two endless belts (56 and 86, Fig. 2). An aperture in the floor 250 of the hopper is analogous to apertures 52 in Fig. 2. One belt 286 is trained over pulleys 290, 292 and 84. Pulley 84 is driven as previously described.
The operation of this embodiment is simplified because the single belt performs the dual functions of belts 56 and 86 of urging printed envelopes to be fed toward the picker 90 and at the same time urging envelopes in the direction of arrow 140 into the output area of the hopper.

Claims

1. Document handling apparatus attachable to a document processing device (16), such as a printer, located under said handling apparatus comprising:

- first and second supporting means for supporting on edge a stack of documents to be processed and a stack of processed documents, respectively,

- means (90, 91) for picking one endmost document on said first support means,

- first transporting means (88,92,86) for transporting the document picked by said picking means from said first supporting means to said processing device (16),
second transporting means (56) for transporting and urging a document exiting from said processing device (16) to said second supporting means, and

- means (134, 58) for guiding the processed document transported by said second transporting means towards said second supporting means and for dropping it thereon apprdpriately,
characterized in that:

- said first and second supporting means are comprised of a single hopper (10) having a rear input section (30) for supporting the stack of documents to be processed and a front output section (32) for supporting the stack of processed documents,

- said picking means (90, 91) are arranged to engage the rearmost document stacked on said hopper (10),

-said guiding means are arranged to drop said processed document on said front output section (32),

- said second transporting means (56) are arranged to urge the bottom edge of said processed documents dropped on said front output section towards said rear section, and

- a movable bail (34) is provided for separating both stacks of documents regardless of the relative size of said stacks.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that:

- it comprises an upward restraint member (86) adjacent the top portion of said documents in said rear section,

- said picking means comprise at least one picker wheel (90) engaging the bottom portion of the rearmost document in said rear section (30) and driving means for rotating said wheel in a direction tending to move upwards said bottom portion and thus to buckle said document against said restraint member, and subsequently to allow said document to snap thereover and the bottom portion thereof to engage said first transporting means.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that said picker wheel (90) has a protruding lip (91) for engaging the bottom edge of said rearmost document.

4. Apparatus according to claims 2 or 3, characterized in that said first transporting means comprise

- a first endless belt (86),

- a first pulley (88) mounted in spaced apart relation on the same shaft (89) as said picker wheel (90), and supporting said first endless belt,

- at least a back up roller (92) adjacent said picker wheel for forming a nip between said roller and said first belt for driving said bottom portion of said document after being picked by said picker wheel (90),

-a second pulley (84) supporting said first endless belt and located in the vicinity of said processing device (16), and

- first guiding plate (122) for guiding and maintaining a document exiting said nip in driving relationship with said belt between said first and second pulleys to allow said document to be driven by said first belt between said pulleys.

5. Apparatus according to any one of the previous claims characterized in that said second transporting means comprise:

- a third pulley (80) located in the vicinity of the front part of said front section (32) of said hopper,

-a second endless belt (56) extending between said second and third pulleys, and

- a second guiding plate (38) for guiding and maintaining a document exiting said processing device (16) in driving relationship with said second endless belt between said second and third pulleys.

6. Apparatus according to any one of the previous claims, characterized in that said urging means comprise:

- a leaf spring (58) conforming generally to the periphery of said third pulley which is in contact with said second belt to deflect the leading edge of a document transported by said second belt towards said stack of processed documents, and

- a portion of said second endless belt extending between said third pulley (80) and a fourth pulley, substantially parallely with the plane of said hopper, the bottom edge of each document being processed engaging said portion of said second endless belt, whereby said documents are urged towards said bail (34).

7. Apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that said leaf spring is attached to said second guiding plate (38).

8. Apparatus according to any one of the previous claims, characterized in that:

-said processing device is a printer comprising a rotating platen,

- said documents are envelopes, and

- said first and second transporting means are drivingly and timingly connected with said platen, whereby said envelopes to be processed are sequentially fed to said printer, then printed, and then fed back to said supporting means.