EP2085337B1 - Device for optimised selection of mail articles - Google Patents

Description

Field of the art

The present invention relates to the field of mail processing and more particularly relates to a mail item selection device implemented in an automatic feeder module, or feeder, a postage meter franking machine.

Prior art

Conventionally, a franking machine must be adapted to receive different types of mail items such as documents, folds or envelopes having greater or lesser thicknesses, typically from 0.1 mm to 16 mm. For this, it often includes upstream an automatic supply module allowing in particular the conveying of these mail items at different speeds and usually comprising means for the reception / stacking, selection, transport and possibly closure of these items of mail. mail.

The patent EP 0 856 483 issued in the name of the applicant shows an example of such an automatic feeder including a selection module adapted to the passage of mail items of different thicknesses but the quality of the selection is highly dependent on the effort applied by the single sector on the mail item. Indeed, for thin mail items, typically less than 6mm, this effort must be important to limit the number of double envelopes passing to the franking machine while it may be low for mail items stronger. thickness. However, the die being pressed against the mail piece by a compression spring to avoid these double passages that are highly detrimental because resulting in both a billing (weighing two items instead of one) of one two items of mail, a postage of the article above and a non-closing of the article underneath, mail items of great thickness, especially those windows, may be damaged or torn.

The document US-A-5,946,996 discloses a mail item selection device for separating the mail items one by one from a stack of mail items and transporting them downstream, having a first die cooperating with a plurality of opposed selection rolls for select one by one said mail items and carry them downstream, said first die being pivotable about an axis of rotation against a first resilient biasing means.

The document EP-A-0 195 348 discloses the same information as well as the concept of limiting the pivoting of the first die to the rollers by means of a stop.

Object and definition of the invention

The present invention aims to overcome the disadvantages resulting from the passage of duplicate envelopes by proposing a device for selecting mail items for franking machine feeder which can limit in a proportion of at most 1 in 1000 such a double passage.

These goals are achieved by a mail item selection device for separating the mail items one by one from a stack of mail items and transporting them downstream, characterized in that it comprises at least one first die cooperating with a plurality of opposed selection rollers for selecting one by one said mail items and transporting them downstream, said first die being pivotable about an axis of rotation against a first means of resilient return and comprising a reference plate intended to cooperate with a magnet secured to a frame of the device to prevent this pivoting of said first die within a predetermined thickness of mail items.

By this specific structure and because of the presence of the magnet, the first die produces a high pressure force for envelopes of small thickness, typically less than 2 mm and, depending on the return force of the spring, average pressure force for standard thickness envelopes. The quality of selection of thin envelopes is thus greatly improved.

Said first die has a comb structure with on each of its teeth an elastomer blade or a ceramic finger, according to the embodiment envisaged.

The selection device may further comprise a second die pivoting about said axis of rotation against a second elastic return means integral with said frame of the device.

Advantageously, said second die comprises an operating lever to allow an operator to manually clear the transport path of the mail items during the processing of mail items of large thickness, typically greater than 6mm.

This second die further improves the selection of small or standard mail items (up to 6mm) by catch up with those who, despite everything, could have been double-crossed.

The present invention also relates to a mailing machine mailing machine feeder comprising the above-mentioned selection device.

Brief description of the drawings

• la figure 1 est une vue en coupe longitudinale d'un dispositif de sélection d'articles de courrier selon l'invention,
• la figure 1A illustre une variante de réalisation de la première filière, et
• la figure 2 est une vue de dessus du dispositif de sélection de la figure 1.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will emerge more clearly from the following description, given by way of non-limiting indication, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

• the figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a device for selecting mailpieces according to the invention,
• the Figure 1A illustrates a variant embodiment of the first die, and
• the figure 2 is a top view of the selection device of the figure 1 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

An automatic mailing material supply module conventionally comprises a feed zone consisting essentially of a tray intended to receive a pile of mail items and comprising first transport rollers for driving these mailpieces downstream. (and against a referencing wall) at a separation zone comprising a separation device in which these mail items are extracted one by one from the stack of articles. Second transport rollers are generally provided at the exit of this separation zone for conveying the mail articles thus extracted downstream. Such automatic feeder is for example illustrated in the European patent cited in the preamble of the present application.

The Figures 1 and 2 show more precisely the structure of the device according to the invention of separation of mail items 10 which essentially comprises a first die 12 followed by a second die 14 which oppose a plurality of selection rollers, for example 16A, 16B, 16C , to select a mail piece and only one and carry it downstream. Both dies of the selection device are articulated one around the same axis of rotation 18 and can each pivot against first and second return means elastics 20A, 20B; 22, for example compression springs or traction according to the adopted configuration, bearing on the frame 24 of the selection device, during the passage of mail items on the selection rollers.

As is known, the first die 12 is not disposed perpendicularly to the transport path of mail items but inclined downstream of about 45 °. It has a comb shape, each tooth being disposed between two adjacent rollers and each of its teeth (two in the example shown) is fixed an elastomer blade 12A which has a very high coefficient of friction to ensure the best possible contact with the mail article.

In an embodiment variant illustrated in Figure 1A , the elastomer blade 12A is replaced by a ceramic finger 26 which has the advantage over an elastomeric blade not to wear and not leave marks on the mail items. Indeed, the elastomer blade is very powerful but it wears relatively quickly and may damage, by crumpling or stuffing, the most fragile mail items.

According to the invention, this first die is extended at the end opposite the contact pieces by a reference plate 12B intended to cooperate with a magnet 28 to which it remains "glued" during the processing of thin mail items, typically up to 2mm.

The second die 14 has a comb structure identical to the first with an elastomer blade 14A mounted on each of its teeth (also two in the example shown). However, it does not include an extension but an operating lever 30 to allow an operator to manually clear the transport path of the mail items during the processing of mail items of large thickness, typically greater than 6mm and less than 16mm ( classic maximum threshold of selection). Indeed, without this possibility of withdrawal, the elastomer blade could wear more quickly and damage (eg crumple window envelopes or cause a jam) these thick envelopes that can be selected perfectly by the first die alone without any risk double passage.

The operation of the selection device according to the invention is as follows. In order to avoid creasing fragile mail items, it is preferable first of all to preliminary sort the mail items to be processed by placing in a first batch the mail items of low or standard thickness, that is to say typically less than 6mm, which will be treated both by the first die 12 and by the second die 14 and in a second batch the thick articles which will be treated only by the first die 12, the second die 14 being raised manually by its operating lever 30.

It should be noted, however, that this preliminary sorting is not mandatory and the operator can choose to process all types of mail items without acting on the manual operating lever.

During the treatment of the first batch, the stiffness necessary for the selection of mail items thin (less than 2mm) is generated by the magnet 28 which will therefore stick to its reference. The first sector carries out most of the selection work and the second sector catches if necessary the double passages. For standard mail, that is to say the thickness of which is between 2 and 6mm, the contact of the mail article against the die will overcome the magnet separation effort and the effort of pressure exerted by the first die will now be achieved by only the action of the return spring 20A, 20B, the second die catching if necessary, as previously, any double passages.

For the treatment of the second batch, the second die is raised thus avoiding its premature wear, the selection of mail items being performed by the only the first die under the action of the return spring 20A, 20B.

Thus, with the present invention, it is possible to treat different thicknesses of envelopes without damaging them because the selection device is very stiff for the thin envelopes and loses its stiffness for the thicker standard envelopes whose simple effort of pressure resulting from a return spring is sufficient for the selected without causing double passes. Beyond this threshold, that is to say for envelopes even thicker, the problem of the double passage no longer exists in practice, the action of the spring is sufficient to ensure the selection of these envelopes, the second die be active or not.

Claims (5)

1. A mailpiece selector device for separating mailpieces one-by-one from a stack of mailpieces and for transporting them downstream, said mailpiece selector device comprising a first guide (12) co-operating with a plurality of opposite selector rollers (16A, 16B, 16C) to select said mailpieces one-by-one and for transporting them downstream, said first guide being able to pivot about a pivot axis (18) in opposition to first resilient return means (20A, 20B), characterized in that said first guide comprises a reference plate (12B) designed to co-operate with a magnet (28) that is secured to a framework (24) of the device to prevent said first guide from pivoting below a predetermined mailpiece thickness.
2. A mailpiece selector device according to claim 1, characterized in that said first guide comprises a comb structure with each of the teeth thereof being provided with an elastomer blade (12A) or with a ceramic finger (26).
3. A mailpiece selector device according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that it further comprises a second guide (14) mounted to pivot about said pivot axis in opposition to second resilient return means (22) secured to said framework of the device.
4. A mailpiece selector device according to claim 3, characterized in that said second guide comprises an operating lever (30) for enabling an operator to act manually to clear the mailpiece transport path while mailpieces of large thickness, typically of thickness greater than 6 mm, are being processed.
5. A mailpiece feeder for a franking machine, which feeder includes a mailpiece selector device according to claims 1 to 4.

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