EP0199333A1 - Label selector for franking machines - Google Patents

Abstract

The label selector comprises, for the selective supply of a short or long label to a franking machine equipped with a control lever (7) operable in a first and second print control position and not printing of an advertising flame, respectively, a transmitter (E) and a receiver (R) which are mounted in an opto-electronic detection head (41) distant from the lever (7) and which are coupled one to the other another by a mirror (42) carried by the lever (7) for only one of its two positions.

Description

The present invention relates generally to franking machines. Its purpose is a label selector for the selective supply of short or long labels of a franking machine, depending on whether one wishes to print a postage stamp alone or a postage stamp accompanied by a additional fixed information such as an advertising flame for example.

The existing franking machines comprise, in a known manner, in a rotary drum printing head, first means assigned to printing a franking stamp and second retractable means assigned to printing fixed information. , such as an advertising flame, for example. This same head is also equipped with a control lever linked to these second printing means, for their retraction or not. The control lever is mounted at the end of the head for its accessibility; it can be actuated manually in a first position, for which the second means are retracted and the head will then only ensure the printing of the postage stamp alone, and in a second position for which the second printing means are not retracted and the print head will print the postage stamp and the advertising flame one after the other.

This single or double printing is carried out either directly on envelopes or on short or long labels depending on the impression they should receive. The labels after printing will be stuck on folds or packages. In these franking machines, the print head and an associated counter-roller are mounted to receive between them the envelopes driven by a transport mechanism as well as the labels to be printed. These labels are issued by an automatic dispenser of labels fitted to franking machines.

In automatic label dispensers, the labels are advantageously removed on demand from a continuous postage tape cut to the length of the desired labels. The postage tape is intermittently driven in response to an external command to release in response to another external short or long label selection command a first or second length of tape which is cut by a knife. In such franking machines, the operator who positions the lever for controlling the single or double printing of the head must also ensure the external control of suitable label selection by positioning the lever assigned for this purpose accordingly.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a safe and reliable selection control between short labels and long labels which a label dispenser delivers to a franking machine, to exclude double printing while the franking machine is supplied. in short labels, for which part of the double printing would pass on the backing roller.

The present invention therefore relates to a label selector for selective feeding from a distributor of short and long labels of a franking machine with a print head comprising first means assigned to printing. a postage stamp, second means assigned to printing additional information known as an advertising flame and a control lever, known as an advertising lever, coupled to the second means and actuable in a first position for controlling non advertising flame printing and in a second position for the flame printing advertising control, characterized in that it comprises a transmitter and a receiver mounted relative to said advertising lever to be coupled to each other in the a single one chosen from said first and second positions of said lever by constituting a lever position detector connected to said label dispenser for the control of selection of the long ower of label which it delivers to the franking machine.

According to a particular feature of the selector, said transmitter and receiver are both mounted at a distance from the lever in the same opto-electronic head and said lever carries a mirror ensuring their coupling in said chosen position of the lever.

In particular, this position of the lever is said first position for which said second means assigned to printing the advertising flame are retracted for the non-printing of the advertising flame.

The characteristics and advantages of the present invention will emerge from the description of an exemplary embodiment illustrated in the attached drawing. In this drawing, the single figure schematically represents a franking machine equipped with a label selector according to the invention.

The franking machine being as such of known type, it is quite schematically illustrated in the figure a printing drum 1, secured to a shaft 2 for its rotational drive, according to arrow 3. This drum belongs at the print head of the machine. It carries a first engraved printing plate, called a franking plate; this first curved plate 4 is fixed on the periphery of the drum. Means for printing the postage amount and in general of the date, for example of the type with internal printing wheels of the drum and adjustable in position or of the type with ink jet printing device controlled in synchronism with the drum, not shown, associated with it, for printing through suitable windows that it has corresponding indications of postage.

The printing drum 1 also carries a second engraved printing plate 5 retractably mounted on its periphery. This second printing plate 5, called the advertising flame plate, is intended for the possible printing of fixed additional information, such as an advertising flame for example. This advertising flame plate is linked by a set of articulated rods symbolized by the connection in dashed lines 6 to a control lever 7. The control lever 7, called the advertising lever, is mounted at the end of the printing drum 1 and is actuable by an operator in a first position, given in dotted lines, for which the advertising flame plate 5 is put in the retracted position also illustrated in correspondence in dotted lines, and in a second position, given in solid lines, for which the plate advertising flame 5 is placed in the non-retracted or printing position given in correspondence in solid lines.

A flat 8 on the printing drum makes it possible to define a rest position of the drum and the location of this rest position. It is in this drum rest position that the advertising lever 7 is placed in one of its first and second positions for controlling the positioning of the advertising flame plate.

Advantageously, although not shown, guide means, of the end ball type, resiliently biased are provided on the rear face of the lever 7 and two cylinder imprints connected by a groove in an arc of a circle are provided in the end face of the drum so that the first and second positions of the lever are stable positions.

A printing counter-roller 10 entered Wheat in rotation on its axis 11, according to arrow 12, is mounted under the printing drum 1. This counter-roller 10, like the drum 1, is supported by the chassis not shown. of the machine. The counter-roller 10 is in practice elastically urged to cooperate effectively with the drum during printing; when the print head is at rest, the flat part 8 of the drum faces the counter-roller, leaving a relatively wide gap between them.

In the franking machine, a table 14, called the envelope printing table, defines the path for guiding and driving envelopes between the printing drum 1 and the printing counter-roller 10. The envelopes are driven along arrow 15 between the drum and the counter-roller; once the printing is done, they are evacuated according to arrow 16. In this same franking machine an inlet chute 20 defines the path for guiding and driving labels between the printing drum and the counter-roller and a chute 21 defines the output of the printed labels.

Between these two chutes, a part 22 with window guides the labels only by their edges, on the upper part of the counter-roller facing the printing drum. The labels are driven along arrow 23 in the chute 20; a roller 24 shown arranged under pressure with the counter-roller ensures their drive on the counter-roller, once printed they are discharged according to arrow 26.

The inlet chute 20 is constituted by the outlet of an automatic label dispenser 30, of known general type, which in practice equips the franking machine. This dispenser 30, the description of which is not given in detail below, ensures, from a continuous franking tape 31, mounted in a roll, the supply of the franking machine with short and long labels, on demand. To this end, it comprises a first external control input 32, for controlling the distribution of labels, and a second control input 33 for controlling the selection between short or long label. In response to these two commands, a mechanism 34 ensures the driving of the ribbon over a first or second given length for the removal from the ribbon of the suitable label.

According to the present invention, the franking machine is further equipped with a label selector 40 which directly controls the input 33 to which its output is connected. The selector 40 constitutes a detector of a single chosen position of the advertising lever 7, for the rest position of the drum 1. It comprises a transmitter E and a receiver R mounted relative to the lever 7 so as to be coupled to each other only when the lever is in the selected position of the lever.

In the figure, this transmitter and this receiver are mounted remotely from the lever in the same opto-electronic detection head 41, E / R transmitter-receiver, incorporating or connected to amplification and processing circuits of the electrical output signal. of the receiver. The lever carries, meanwhile a reflecting mirror 42 receiving the light from the transmitter and returning it to the receiver when the lever 7 is in said first position, for which the advertising flame printing plate 5 is in the retracted position or not printing.

The detection head 41 is mounted under the envelope printing table 14, in which - is provided, a window 43 transparent to light rays, on the path of the light radiation emitted by the head and reflected back by the mirror. This trajectory is illustrated at 44; it is in the figure substantially perpendicular to the mirror for this first position of the lever. A support 45 fixed on the head 41 maintains the head 41 on the chassis of the machine.

When the lever 7 is in this first position of non-impression of an advertising flame, by the coupling between the transmitter and the receiver produced by the mirror 42, the head delivers on the input 33 of the distributor a short label selection signal . When the lever 7 is on the other hand in the advertising flame printing position, given in solid lines, the signal delivered by the head translates the absence of coupling between the transmitter and the receiver, this signal on the input 33 constitutes the long label selection signal. Of course, in the label dispenser, the signal on the short or long label selection input 33 will only be taken into account when the printing drum 1 is in the rest position and a distribution command d the label will be applied to the input 32. To this end, in the label dispenser 30, a circuit 35 controlled by the label distribution signal present on the input 32 ensures sampling or detection of the signal level applied by the head 41 to the input 33, to control said means 34 for driving the ribbon accordingly.

In the embodiment described, the label selector is mounted to ensure remote detection of the position of non-printing of flame publicitairs of the lever 7 for which the distributor issues a short label. Detecting this precise position rather than the other is particularly advantageous. Indeed, in the event of a possible head failure, its output signal applied to input 33 will translate a long label selection command, this even if the lever is in the first position for which the flame plate advertising is retracted. The opposite choice, consisting in carrying out the detection of the other position of the lever, would lead, on the other hand, in the event of a possible failure of the head, to the selection of a short label and then to a possible transfer of the advertising flame to the counter roller if a failure of the detection head occurs.

The present invention has been described with reference to the illustrated embodiment. It is obvious that the means specific to the print head and to the label dispenser, which have been indicated above in general, cannot as such constitute a limitation of the scope of the invention. . The arrangement of the transmitter and the receiver in a single optoelectronic head, although advantageous, can no longer constitute a limitation of the mode of remote position detection of the advertising flame print control lever.

Claims (5)

1 / Label selector for selective feeding, from a short and long label distributor, of a franking machine with print head comprising first means assigned to the printing of a stamp franking, second means assigned to printing additional information called advertising flame and a control lever, said advertising lever, coupled to the second means and operable in a -first position for controlling the non-printing of flame advertising and in a second position for the advertising flame printing control, characterized in that it comprises a transmitter and a receiver (41) mounted relative to said advertising lever (7) to be coupled to each other in only one of said first and second positions of said lever constituting a lever position detector (40) connected to said label dispenser (30) for controlling the selection of the label length it delivers to the postage meter. 2 / label selector according to claim 1, characterized in that said transmitter and receiver (41) are coupled in said first position of said advertising lever (7). 3 / Label selector according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that said transmitter and receiver (41) are both mounted at a distance from said advertising lever (7) and in that said lever (7 ) is equipped with means (42) ensuring their coupling for said selected position of said lever. 4 / label selector according to claim 3, characterized in that said transmitter and receiver are opto-electronic and mounted in the same transmitter-receiver head (41) and said means ensuring their coupling is a mirror (42) carried by said the sink. 5i label selector according to one of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that it is connected to said label distributor (30) through a circuit - (35) for signal level detection triggered by a control signal label distribution.

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