EP1473173B1

EP1473173B1 - Envelope filling machine

Info

Publication number: EP1473173B1
Application number: EP04010278A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Giuseppe Ponti
Original assignee: CMC SRL
Current assignee: CMC SRL
Priority date: 2003-04-30
Filing date: 2004-04-30
Publication date: 2011-04-06
Anticipated expiration: 2024-04-30
Also published as: ATE504455T1; ITBO20030253A0; DE602004032084D1; EP1473173A3; EP1473173A2; ITBO20030253A1

Abstract

The envelope filling machine for introducing sheets (2) into envelopes (3) includes distributing devices (4) for feeding the sheets (2) to a sliding surface (5), transferring means (11), operated along the sliding surface (5) to transfer the sheets (2) toward a envelope filling station (10) and feeding means (30), aimed at supplying individual envelopes (3) to be sent to the envelope filling station (10) by guiding means (14), with the aperture turned upward and facing the direction from which the sheets (2) arrive. The envelope filling station (10) includes an elevator group (20), equipped with distributing means (21), situated at the side opposite to the one where the sheets (2) arrive, for engaging the envelopes (3) to raise a series of envelopes (3), arranged one over another and bring each envelope (3) from a lower entrance position in the envelope filling station (10) to a higher position, substantially at the same level as the sliding surface (5), to be ready for the introduction of the sheets (2).

Description

The present invention relates to an envelope filling machine, aimed in particular at introducing sheets into envelopes.
At present, the envelope filling machines introduce sheets, such as letters, advertisement prints and the like into the already formed envelopes.
The development of the so-called "mailing" field, that includes sending the above-mentioned sheets to a large number of different addressees, often entrusted to utility firms, creates the need of envelope filling machines, which can stuff envelopes at very high speeds.
Envelope filling machines are divided substantially in two categories: the first one forms the envelopes, while the other uses ready made envelopes.
The envelope filling machines of the second category, to which belongs the machine proposed by the present invention usually include distributing means, known also as sheet feeders, aimed at feeding the sheets to a sliding surface below.
Transferring means act along the sliding surface and, in step relation with the sheets feeding, they transfer the sheets to an envelope filling station.
An envelope feeding device delivers the envelopes to the sliding surface, in cooperation with suitable means, which open the apertures of the envelopes, e.g. with an air blast.
According to a known solution, the envelopes feeding device is situated above the sliding surface, in the envelope filling station.
However, in this way, the individual envelopes are fed to the envelope filling station with the aperture turned downwards, so that it is not possible to control the correct introduction of the sheets.
Moreover, the operation autonomy is generally limited, because it is difficult for the operator to load the feeding device, situated at a relatively high level.
According to another solution, the envelopes feeding device is situated beside the sliding surface.
The envelopes are picked up continuously from the bottom of the stack situated inside the feeder and then they are fed to the envelope filling station with the apertures turned upwards.
Then, individual envelopes are picked up by suitable picking up means and transferred to the envelope filling station, maintaining the desired orientation.
The envelopes are transferred in sequence to the envelope filling station in suitable step relation with the feeding of the sheets along the sliding surface.
In particular, each individual envelope is transferred to the envelope filling station after the envelope filled before has been moved away.
Obviously, this causes reduction of the machine operation speed and consequently, the production rate is lower than the one which the current high speed sheet feeding devices would allow.
Document EP-A-1275523 describes an envelope filling machine according to the preamble of claim 1.
The object of the present invention is to solve the above problem, by proposing an envelope filling machine which introduces sheets into envelopes with a high operation speed.
Another object of the present invention is to propose an envelope filling machine, which has a simple and functional structure, and which is highly reliable and versatile in its use.
The above mentioned objects are obtained in accordance with the content of the claims.
The characteristic features of the invention will be pointed out in the following description, with reference to the enclosed drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top view of the proposed envelope filling machine;
Figure 2 is lateral view of this envelope filling machine;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the machine, at the envelope filling station of the envelope filling machine;
Figures 4a, 4b and 4c are top schematic views of the above envelope filling station in different operation steps;
Figures 5a and 5b are lateral detailed views of the envelope filling station in different operation steps.

With particular reference to the above figures, the reference numeral 1 indicates the proposed envelope filling machine, which introduces sheets 2 into envelopes 3.
The envelope filling machine 1 includes feeding means 4 for feeding sheets 2 to a sliding surface 5.
Pushing means 7 move along the sliding surface 5 in the direction indicated with the arrow A, as they are moved by a driving line 6, situated therebelow, including e.g. by an endless belt.
The pushing means 7, including e.g. pairs of prongs, protrude from corresponding longitudinal slots 8 made along the sliding surface 5, and engage, along the active section, with suitable support means 9, aimed at keeping the pushing means 7 in a raised position.
A transferring line 11, is situated downstream of the conveying line 6 and is equipped with pushing members 17, which transfer the sheets 2, one after another, to an envelope filling station 10 of the machine, and which introduce the sheets 2 into the envelopes 3.
The transferring line 11 includes an endless conveyor 12, situated above the sliding surface 5 and carrying the above pushing members 17, regularly spaced apart.
Also the pushing members 17 are aimed at running within the longitudinal slots 8 made along the sliding surface 5, to take over control of the sheets to be introduced into the envelopes 3.
The envelopes 3 are transferred to the envelope filling station 10, in the direction indicated with the arrow B, along a direction transversal to the transferring line 11 of the sheets 2.
The envelopes 3 are supplied by a feeding device 30, situated beside the transferring line 11, in which the envelopes are piled up in a stack.
The feeding device 30 is aimed at removing individual envelopes 3 from the bottom of the stack and at feeding the envelopes 3 to guiding means 14, formed e.g. by elastic plates, which send the envelopes 3, with the back facing upward, to a support surface 16 of the envelope filling station 10.
Stationary folding means 15 are situated along the transferring section of the envelopes 3 to the envelope filling station 10, for opening the flap 13 of the envelopes.
It is to be noted that, due to the opening of the flap 13, the aperture of each envelope 3 is facing upwards and in the direction from which the sheets 2 arrive.
An elevator group 20, working in the envelope filling station 10, prepares the envelopes 3 to the introduction of the sheets 2.
The elevator group 20 includes at least one screw distributor 21, which is supported rotating on a vertical axis and which is aimed at being operated, by a suitable motor 22, to rotate at a speed, suitably controlled as a function of the transferring steps of the envelopes 3 to the envelope filling station 10 and of the introduction of the sheets 2 into the envelopes 3.
The envelope filling station 10 includes preferably a pair of screw distributors 21, arranged one beside the other and driven into rotation in opposite directions.
The screw means 21 work at the side opposite to the one where the sheets 2 arrive, so as to engage the closed edge of the envelopes 3, opposite to the flap 13.
In the envelope filling station 10, the envelopes 3 to be filled are supported with a side in abutment against a wall 18.
Possibly, the lateral wall 18 can be substituted by another screw member 21.
Moreover, nozzles 19 are situated in the envelope filling station 10 to send blasts of air toward the aperture of the envelopes 3 to facilitate their opening.
The operation of the envelope filling machine is as follows.
The sheets 2, fed by the distributing means 4 to the sliding surface 5, are moved forward by the pushing means 7 of the driving line 6 and then, they are transferred, one after the other, by the pushing members 17 situated above, to the envelope filling station 10, where the envelopes 3 to be filled are situated.
The envelopes 3, supplied by the feeding device 30, are sent by the guiding means 14 to the support surface 16 of the envelope filling station 10, with the back turned upwards and the aperture turned upwards and in the direction from which the sheets 2 arrive.
At the inlet of the envelope filling station 10, the envelopes 3 engage with the lower section of the helix of the counter-rotating screw means 21, as it is seen in detail in Figure 5A.
The rotation of the screw means 21 causes progressive raising of the envelope 3, so as to leave space at the inlet of the envelope filling station 10 for a subsequent envelope 3, which is introduced under the previous one.
When in normal operation, the number of envelopes 3 present in the envelope filling station 10 substantially corresponds to the number of turns of the helix of the screw means 21.
The topmost envelope 3 of the so obtained stack in the envelope filling station 10 is ready for the introduction of a sheet 2, pushed by the pushing members 17 of the transferring line 11 and moving in the direction A (Figure 4A).
The introduction of the sheet 2 through the aperture of the envelope 3 is facilitated by the opening of said aperture by the blasts of air supplied by the nozzles 19 (see also Figure 3).
Suitable contrast means 23, which can be seen in Figure 1, are aimed at preventing an anomalous swelling of the envelopes 3.
When the sheet 2 has been introduced, the envelope 3 is moved away from the transferring line 11 toward the sliding surface 25, which forms substantially an extension of the sliding surface 5 and has corresponding longitudinal slots 28.
During moving away step, after having reached the top of the screw means 21, the envelope 3 can slide thereabove (Figure 5B).
It is to be pointed out that when the sheet has been introduced into the envelope 3, a next sheet 2 arrives to the envelope filling station 10 (Figure 4B).
The introduction of the next sheet 2 into the envelope 3 begins during the moving away of the previous envelope 13, as soon as the aperture of the envelope to be filled becomes free (Figure 4C).
Practically, at each turn of the screw means 21, the envelopes 3 present in the envelope filling station 10 are raised by one step, while the filled envelope is moved away, so as to prepare the upper envelope for the introduction of the sheet 2 and to create room in the lower part for a new envelope to enter under the previous ones.
Therefore, the above described envelope filling machine fulfills its object to introduce sheets into the relative envelopes at high operation speed, considerably higher than the speed at which known machines work.
This is obtained in particular due to the substantial elimination of the dead times in the envelopes filling, deriving from the use of the elevator group 20 equipped with distributing screw means 21, which allow to prepare envelopes to be filled substantially in continuity with the filling and moving away of the previous envelopes.
This obviously allows to reach a very high production rate, with very reduced costs.
It is to be pointed out that this result is obtained by a structure of big constructive and functional simplicity, of reduced dimensions, and very reliable.
Naturally, all the above described means of the machine are suitably adjustable as a function of the envelopes size.

Claims

Envelope filling machine for introducing sheets (2) into envelopes (3), including distributing devices (4) for feeding said sheets (2) to a sliding surface (5), transferring means (11) operated along said sliding surface (5) for transferring said sheets (2) to an envelope filling station (10), feeding means (30), for supplying individual envelopes (3) to be sent to said envelope filling station (10) by guiding means (14), with the back turned upward and facing the direction from which said sheets (2) arrive, an elevator group (20), in said envelope filling station (10), equipped with distributing means (21), situated on the side opposite to the side at which said sheets (2) arrive, and including at least one screw distributing element (21), rotatingly supported on a vertical axis and operated, by a motor (22), to rotate at a speed suitably controlled as a function of the transferring steps of said envelopes (3) to the envelope filling station (10) and of the introduction of said sheets into the envelopes (3), characterized in that said envelope filling station (10) has a support surface (16) onto which said individual envelopes (3), supplied by said guiding means (14), are introduced and in that said at least one screw distributing element (21) works at the edge of the support surface (16) for engaging with the closed edge of said envelopes (3) opposite to the aperture thereof, the screw distributing element (21) raising the envelopes (3) present on the support surface (16) of said envelope filing station 10) each turn one step, in suitable phase relation with the moving away of the filled envelope (3), to arrange the envelopes one over another in a stack, in order to move each of said envelopes (3) from a lower entrance position in said envelope filling station (10) to a higher position, substantially at the same level as said sliding surface (5), to be ready for the introduction of the sheets (2), so as to prepare the topmost envelope (3) of said stack for the introduction of said sheet (2) and to create room in the lower part of the envelope filling station (10) for a new envelope (3) to enter under the previous ones.
Machine as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said elevator group (20) includes a pair of said screw elements (21), arranged one beside the other and operated to rotate in opposite directions.
Machine as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the number of envelopes (3) present cyclically in said envelope filling station (10), corresponds to the number of turns of the helix of the screw element (21).
Machine as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said transferring means (11) include an endless conveyor (12), situated above said sliding surface (5) and having a plurality of pushing members (17), regularly spaced apart for acting on the trailing edge of said sheets (2).
Machine as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that said pushing members (17) run within the corresponding longitudinal slots (8) made along said sliding surface (5), to take over control of said sheets (2) to be introduced into said envelopes (3).
Machine as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that said feeding means (30) are situated beside said transferring means (11) of said sheets (2) for feeding said envelopes (3), with back turned upwards, to guiding means (14), which are formed by elastic plates arranged along a direction transversal to said transferring means (11) and which send the envelopes (3) to a support surface (16) of the envelope filling station (10).
Machine as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that folding means (15) are situated along a section of the transferring path of said envelopes (3) to said envelope filling station (10), for opening a flap (13) of the envelopes (3).