JP2012016872A - Sealing device and sealing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sealing device which can smoothly convey envelopes while preventing the envelopes from clogging in a conveyance route.SOLUTION: In the sealing device 1, a fold forming part 4 is equipped with an insertion part 47 into which a bending projection 48 is inserted, and a control part 7 controls to convey, in a conveyance direction, the envelope 10 having a fold formed on the flap portion 12 a flap portion 12 held in the insertion part 47, after drawing out the flap portion by a predetermined amount in an opposite direction to the envelope conveyance direction, by a conveying means installed on the opposite side to the envelope conveyance direction to a sealing part 5 at an installation position of the insertion part 47 when conveying by the conveying means to the sealing part 5 by inserting the bending projection 48 into the insertion part 47 with the flat portion 12 interposed therebetween is to be conveyed.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sealing device and a sealing method.

  Adhesive is applied to the flap part, which is the glue part of the envelope, or a dry adhesive is applied to the flap part in advance, and the flap part is moistened by supplying moisture to this part. 2. Description of the Related Art A sealing device that automatically seals a flap portion by sticking to a folded envelope body is known.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a sealing device that includes a bending head that bends a base portion of a flap and raises the flap obliquely upward, and an attaching tool that attaches an adhesive tape to the back surface of the envelope. is there. In this sealing device, a bending head interposes a flap portion, enters a gap having a predetermined width, and forms a fold.

JP 2001-205988 A

However, in the sealing device described in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to pull out the fold sandwiched by the bending head from the gap, and the envelope may be clogged during the conveyance.

The present invention solves the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a sealing device that can smoothly transport an envelope without clogging the envelope in the transport path.

In order to achieve the above object, the sealing device according to claim 1 is a sealing device for sealing an unsealed envelope, at least a flap portion or a location where a flap portion of an envelope body is stuck. An application means for applying to the application position, a fold forming portion provided with a folding projection for forming a fold in the flap, and a fold formed in the fold forming portion In a sealing device comprising: a sealing unit provided with a press roller that seals the envelope by sticking the flap part to the envelope body with the applied sealing agent; and a control unit that controls the operation of each part. The eye forming part is provided with an insertion part for inserting the folding convex part, and the control part forms a fold in the flap part by inserting the folding convex part through the insertion part with the flap part interposed. The envelope is transported to the sealing part by transport means In the process, after the flap portion sandwiched between the insertion portions is pulled out by a predetermined amount in the direction opposite to the envelope conveyance direction by the conveyance means installed on the opposite side to the envelope conveyance direction to the sealing portion at the insertion portion installation position, It controls to convey in the conveyance direction.

The invention according to claim 2 is configured such that, in the sealing device according to claim 1, the bent convex portion is configured to be capable of adjusting an insertion amount when being inserted into the insertion portion.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the sealing device according to the first or second aspect, the pulling amount pulled out in the direction opposite to the envelope conveying direction by the conveying means is set to the insertion portion of the bent convex portion. It is configured to be adjustable according to the amount of insertion.

Furthermore, the invention according to claim 4 is the sealing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the insertion portion is constituted by a concave groove formed on the upper surface of the concave material.
An elastic member is laid on the bottom of the groove.

Furthermore, the invention according to claim 5 applies a sealing agent for sealing an unsealed envelope to at least one of the application positions of the flap portion or the location where the flap portion of the envelope body is attached. The fold is formed by a folding convex part that is applied by means and forms a fold in the flap part, the formed fold is sandwiched by a press roller, and the flap part is sealed by the sealing agent applied by the application means In the sealing method of adhering to and sealing, when an envelope having a fold formed in the flap portion is inserted into the insertion portion with the flap portion interposed, and the envelope formed with a fold is conveyed to the sealing portion by the conveying means. The flap portion sandwiched between the insertion portions is pulled out by a predetermined amount in the direction opposite to the envelope conveyance direction by the conveyance means installed on the opposite side of the envelope conveyance direction to the sealing portion at the insertion portion installation position, and then the conveyance direction Carry to Sealing method of the present invention relates.

In the sealing device according to claim 1, the crease forming part is provided with an insertion part through which the bending convex part is inserted, and the control part inserts the folding convex part into the insertion part through the flap part. Thus, when transporting the envelope formed with a crease in the flap portion to the sealing portion by the transport means, the flap portion sandwiched between the insertion portions is the envelope transport direction to the sealing portion at the insertion portion installation position. The conveying means installed on the opposite side is controlled so that a predetermined amount is pulled out in the direction opposite to the envelope conveying direction and then conveyed in the conveying direction, so that the fold of the formed flap portion is inserted in the insertion portion while being sandwiched between the insertion portions. It is possible to release the state where it is difficult to remove from the section, and to prevent the envelope from being clogged in the transport path.

Moreover, according to the sealing apparatus of Claim 2, since the bending convex part is comprised so that adjustment of the insertion amount at the time of being penetrated to an insertion part is possible, after sticking a flap part to an envelope main body If there is a possibility that the flap part may be peeled off from the envelope body, increase the amount of insertion of the bent convex part into the insertion part to form a firm crease and adjust it so that it can be sealed securely I can do it.

According to the sealing device of the third aspect, the pull-out amount pulled out in the direction opposite to the envelope transport direction by the transport means is configured to be adjustable according to the insertion amount of the bent convex portion into the insertion portion. Therefore, the formed fold can be reliably pulled out from the insertion portion, and the power and time required to transport the envelope in the direction opposite to the transport direction can be adjusted to the required amount.

According to the sealing device of the fourth aspect, the insertion portion is constituted by a concave groove formed on the upper surface of the concave member, and an elastic member is laid on the bottom of the concave groove. By inserting the bent convex portion into the vicinity of the bottom portion of the concave groove against the elastic force of the elastic member in a state where the gap is interposed, it is possible to form a firm crease in the flap portion.

According to the sealing device of the fifth aspect, the envelope in which the folding convex portion is inserted into the insertion portion with the flap portion interposed and the fold is formed in the flap portion is transferred to the sealing portion by the conveying means. When transporting, after pulling out the flap part sandwiched between the insertion parts by a predetermined amount in the direction opposite to the envelope conveyance direction by the conveyance means installed on the opposite side of the envelope conveyance direction to the sealing part at the insertion part installation position Since the sheet is conveyed in the conveying direction, the state in which the fold of the formed flap part is not easily removed from the insertion part while being sandwiched between the insertion parts can be released, and the envelope can be prevented from being clogged in the conveyance path.

1 is an external perspective view of a sealing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view in the state where the case of the sealing device was removed. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the said sealing apparatus. It is the elements on larger scale of the sealing agent application part and crease formation part of the said sealing apparatus. It is a perspective view of the convex member raising / lowering means of the fold formation part of the said sealing apparatus. It is an enlarged view which shows the usage condition of the said sealing apparatus. It is an enlarged view which shows the usage condition of the said sealing apparatus. It is an enlarged view which shows the usage condition of the said sealing apparatus. It is an enlarged view which shows the usage condition of the said sealing apparatus. It is an enlarged view of the recessed part material of the sealing apparatus which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the usage condition of the conventional sealing apparatus.

(First embodiment)
One embodiment of the sealing device according to the present invention will be described below. 1 is an external perspective view of the sealing device, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sealing device with a housing removed, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the sealing device, and FIG. 4 is a sealing agent application of the sealing device. It is the elements on larger scale of a part and a crease formation part. Here, for convenience of explanation, the right side in FIGS. 1 and 2 provided with the supply base 16 of the envelope 10 to be sealed is the front side of the sealing device 1, and the sealing agent application unit 3 is provided in the same figure. The left side will be described as the rear side, the left side viewed from the rear side as the left side in the sealing device 1, and the right side as the right side in the sealing device 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, an envelope 10 that is sealed by the sealing device 1 has a flap portion 12 that is a marginal portion on one end side of an envelope body 11 that stores contents, and a sealing agent is provided on the flap portion 12. Is applied, and the flap portion 12 is attached to the back surface 11a of the envelope body 11 and sealed.

In FIG. 3, the sealing device 1 includes a supply unit 2 that stacks a plurality of unsealed envelopes 10 with the back surface 11 a facing upward, and supplies them one by one from the bottom to the rear processing portion, and an unsealed envelope 10. The flap part 12 is coated with a sealant application part 3 for applying a sealant, a crease forming part 4 for forming a crease in the flap part 12, and an envelope 10 with the folds folded and pressed, and the flap part 12, a discharge stacking unit 6 for stacking the sealed envelopes 10, and a control unit 7 for controlling the operation of each unit. As shown in FIG. 1, the rear portion of the supply unit 2, the sealant application unit 3, the crease forming unit 4, and the sealing unit 5 are accommodated in a housing 9.

As shown in FIG. 3, the supply unit 2 includes a supply table 16, a side regulating plate 17, a supply transport unit 18, and a winding unit 19. The supply stand 16 is provided at a predetermined height position on the front side of the sealing device 1, and is inclined so that the front side of the supply stand 16 is high and the rear side is low. As shown in FIG. 2, the side regulating plate 17 is slidably provided in the left and right width directions on the supply table 16, and adjusts the placement position of the envelope 10 on the supply table 16 to the substantially central portion in the width direction. is there.

The supply / conveying means 18 includes a plurality of rubber rollers 22 partially exposed on the envelope placement surface of the supply table 16 and a conveyance roller 23 shown in FIG. 3 installed behind the rubber roller 22. The supply conveyance means 18 is linked to the supply motor 15 through a transmission mechanism (not shown) including a gear, a pulley, and a belt.

The whispering part 19 is disposed behind the supply table 16, separates the lowest envelope 10 a from the plurality of envelopes 10 on the supply table 16, and sequentially conveys them to the rear. The winding unit 19 includes a rear end regulating plate 25, a winding roller 24, and a driven roller 26. The rear end restricting plate 25 is provided vertically at the rear portion of the supply base 16 and restricts the upper envelope 10 so that the rear end edges of the plurality of envelopes 10 come into contact with each other and only the lowermost envelope 10a is conveyed backward. To do. An opening 27 for allowing the envelopes 10 to pass through one by one is formed below the rear end regulating plate 25 between the upper surface of the supply base 16.

The winding roller 24 is disposed behind the rear end regulating plate 25 and is rotated only in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction of the envelope 10. A gap of about 0.1 mm is formed between the separation roller 24 and the conveyance roller 23. Has been. Further, when the envelope 10 is conveyed between the separating roller 24 and the conveying roller 23 facing the separating roller 24, it is biased by a spring so as to sandwich the envelope 10 with a predetermined pressure.

The driven roller 26 is disposed behind the whirling roller 24, and unlike the whirling roller 24, it can freely rotate forward and backward, and is biased by a spring so as to be in rolling contact with the lower conveying roller 23 with a predetermined pressure.

The sealant application unit 3 includes a sealant supply tool 31, an application means 36, and an application plate 35. The sealing agent supply tool 31 contains a sealing agent for sealing the envelope 10 inside, and in this embodiment, a sealing agent holding tape 30 that holds the sealing agent on one side of a strip-shaped tape, and Although not shown in the drawing, the supply reel of the sealing agent holding tape 30, the take-up reel, and a transfer roller that presses and transfers the sealing agent held on the sealing agent holding tape 30 to the flap portion 12 are accommodated inside the case. Although not shown, the sealant is formed of an adhesive layer having a predetermined thickness, and the adhesive layer is held by a sealant holding tape 30 having a predetermined width.

The coating unit 36 includes a sealant lifting / lowering unit 32 and a width moving unit 33. The sealing agent elevating means 32 elevates and lowers the sealing agent supply tool 31. In FIG. 4, a state where the sealing agent supply tool 31 is lowered by the sealing agent elevating means 32 is indicated by a two-dot chain line. The sealant lifting / lowering means 32 is driven by a lifting / lowering motor 38 shown in FIGS.

The width moving means 33 moves the sealing agent supply tool 31 in the width direction from the left end to the right when the sealing agent supply tool 31 is lowered by the sealing agent lifting and lowering means 32, thereby holding it on the sealing agent holding tape 30. The sealed sealant is transferred to the flap portion 12. The width moving means 33 is driven by a width moving motor 39.

The application plate 35 extends in the left-right width direction below the sealant supply tool 31 and is disposed substantially horizontally. The material of the application plate 35 is not particularly limited, but a material that can be easily peeled even when a sealing agent such as silicon resin or fluororesin adheres is preferable.

The crease forming unit 4 includes a convex member 44 and a concave member 45 that are laterally arranged in a direction substantially orthogonal to the conveying direction of the envelope 10, and a convex member elevating means 46 that elevates and lowers the convex member 44. As shown, the convex member 44 is formed by bending at a substantially right angle, and has a bent convex part 48 that forms a fold in the flap part 12 at the lower part.

The concave member 45 has a concave groove 49 as an insertion portion 47 through which the bent convex portion 48 is inserted on the upper surface, and the convex member 44 is inserted into the concave groove 49 by the convex member lifting means 46 with the flap portion 12 interposed therebetween. A fold is formed in a direction substantially orthogonal to the conveying direction of the envelope 10.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the convex member raising / lowering means 46. The convex member lifting / lowering means 46 includes a fold forming motor 50, a rotating shaft 88 rotated by the fold forming motor 50, and a transmission means 89 for transmitting the rotation of the fold forming motor 50 to the rotating shaft 88. Yes. Cams 90 are attached to the left and right ends of the rotary shaft 88, and a lifting rod 91 is connected to the cam 90. The upper end portion of the lifting / lowering rod 91 supports the lifting / lowering base 92, and the lifting / lowering base 92 is lifted and lowered by the action of the cam 90 when the fold forming motor 50 rotates. Support plates 93 that support the left and right ends of the convex member 44 from below are attached to the left and right ends of the lifting platform 92. A guide member 94 is inserted in the vicinity of both left and right ends of the lifting platform 92 through the lifting platform 92 to guide the lifting platform 92.

As shown in FIG. 3, a rear conveyance unit 51 as a conveyance unit that sandwiches and conveys the envelope body 11 is installed behind the sealant application unit 3 and the crease formation unit 4. The rear conveying means 51 includes a plurality of upper and lower pair of conveying rollers 52 arranged in front and rear, sandwiching the envelope body 11 of the unsealed envelope 10, and moving the envelope 10 in both the backward and forward directions by forward and reverse rotation of the conveying roller 52. It is configured to be transportable to.

The sealing part 5 is located in the middle between the front supply part 2 and the rear sealing agent application part 3, and the flap part 12 of the envelope 10 formed with the fold is folded back and applied in the sealing agent application part 3. The flap portion 12 is pressed and adhered to the back surface 11a of the envelope body 11 with a sealant. The sealing unit 5 includes a transport roller 55 that can rotate forward and backward to transport the envelope 10 in both the backward and forward directions, and a press roller 56 that is in rolling contact with the transport roller 55 with a predetermined pressing force by a spring bias. Yes.

The rear conveying means 51 and the conveying roller 55 of the sealing unit 5 are connected by a belt (not shown), and both are driven by a rear conveying motor 58 shown in FIG.

Further, the sealing portion 5 is provided with a tip detection sensor 29 including a light emitting element and a light receiving element across the conveying surface of the envelope 10 between the conveying roller 55 and the press roller 56 arranged in two rows in the front and rear. Yes. The tip detection sensor 29 detects that the tip edge 12 a of the flap portion 12 of the envelope 10 sent from the supply unit 2 has passed the installation position of the tip detection sensor 29. As shown in FIG. 2, one tip detection sensor 29 is installed at a position at the same distance from the center in the width direction.

Further, a flap abutment plate 81 is provided vertically at a predetermined height position behind the rear press roller 56, and the flap portion 12 that has sprung upward by forming a fold is provided with the flap contact. The flap portion 12 is folded by being conveyed forward while being in contact with the contact plate 81.

As shown in FIG. 3, the discharge stacking unit 6 is provided below the supply unit 2. The conveyance roller 23 disposed at the rear portion of the supply unit 2 and the conveyance roller 55 of the sealing unit 5 are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined length in the front-rear direction. The sealed envelope 10 is discharged downward from the space portion 60 formed between the conveying rollers 23 and 55 and stacked on the discharge stacking portion 6.

The control unit 7 controls the entire sealing device 1 and is configured by a CPU or the like. The controller 7 is supplied with a signal from the setting means 65 for inputting and setting the size of the envelope 10 and a signal from the leading edge detection sensor 29. As shown in FIG. 1, the setting means 65 is constituted by an operation panel 64 or the like, and the user inputs and sets the size of envelopes such as corner 2, length 3 and length 4 to be sealed from the operation panel 64.

And the drive state of the supply motor 15, the back conveyance motor 58, the raising / lowering motor 38, the width movement motor 39, and the crease | fold formation motor 50 is suitably controlled by the output from the control part 7. FIG.

Further, the control unit 7 inserts the bent convex portion 48 into the insertion portion 47 with the flap portion 12 interposed therebetween, and thereby the envelope 10 formed with a fold in the flap portion 12 is sealed by the rear conveying means 51. 5, the flap portion 12 sandwiched between the insertion portions 47 is moved forward by the rear conveyance means 51 installed on the side opposite to the conveyance direction of the envelope 10 to the sealing portion 5 at the insertion portion 47 installation position. Control is performed so that a predetermined amount is pulled backward in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction of the envelope 20 and then conveyed forward in the conveyance direction.

(Function)
The operation of sealing the unsealed envelope 10 by the sealing device 1 will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 3, the outline of the sealing operation is as follows. Many envelopes 10 in an unsealed state are placed on the supply table 16 with the flap portion 12 on the front side and the surface of the envelope 10 on which the destination is written on the lower side. The sheets are stacked and conveyed one by one from the lowermost envelope 10a sequentially by the action of the supply conveying means 18 and the whispering section 19. The envelope 10 transported from the supply unit 2 passes through the sealing unit 5 while remaining unsealed, reaches the sealing agent application unit 3, and after the sealing agent is applied, the crease is formed in the fold forming unit 4. It is formed and transported forward by the backward transport means 51 in the opposite direction to the supply, and the flap portion 12 is sealed in the sealing portion 5 and discharged to the discharge stacking portion 6. This will be described in detail below.

A plurality of unsealed envelopes 10 are stacked on the supply table 16, and are sequentially fed backward from the lowest position by driving the supply / conveyance means 18. At this time, the rear end of the upper envelope 10 is brought into contact with the rear end regulating plate 25, the rearward conveyance is restricted, and only the envelope 10 that has passed through the opening 27 is conveyed rearward. Then, the envelope 10 is further separated by the rolling roller 24, and the envelope 10 is conveyed to the rear sealing portion 5.

In the sealing unit 5, the envelope 10 in an unsealed state is nipped and conveyed by the conveying roller 55 and the press roller 56 and is supplied to the rear sealing agent application unit 3. The tip detection sensor 29 detects that the tip edge 12 a of the flap portion 12 has passed the installation location of the tip detection sensor 29 and supplies it to the control unit 7.

The envelope 10 that has reached the sealant application unit 3 is conveyed rearward with the envelope body 11 being sandwiched by the rear conveying means 51 shown in FIG. Then, when the leading edge 12a of the flap portion 12 of the envelope 10 is located almost directly below the front end portion of the sealing agent supply tool 31 on the coating plate 35, the driving of the rear conveying means 51 is stopped. This is because the controller 7 detects the leading edge 12a of the flap portion 12 by the leading edge detection sensor 29 based on the length of the flap portion 12 corresponding to the size of the envelope 10 set by the setting means 65, and then the envelope. After 10 is conveyed by a predetermined amount, the rear conveyance motor 58 is stopped at a predetermined position.

In the sealant application unit 3, the sealant supply tool 31 is previously moved from the left end to the right by a predetermined amount by the width moving unit 33 to a predetermined position corresponding to the width of the envelope 10 set by the setting unit 65. Yes. In this state, as shown in FIG. 6, the sealing agent supply tool 31 is lowered by the sealing agent elevating means 32 and contacts the flap portion 12 on the application plate 35. Then, the sealing agent supply tool 31 is moved rightward by the width moving means 33, and the adhesive layer as the sealing agent of the sealing agent holding tape 30 is transferred to the flap portion 12.

In the sealant supply tool 31, the transfer roller rotates as the sealant is transferred to the flap portion 12, and the sealant holding tape 30 is sequentially fed out from the supply reel, and the sealant holding tape 30 is taken up on the take-up reel. It is done.

After the application of the sealant to the flap portion 12, the sealant supply tool 31 is lifted by the sealant elevating means 32, moved to the original position by the width moving means 33, and predetermined for the envelope 10 sent next. Wait at the position.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the folding convex portion 48 is lowered from the standby position to the crease forming position by the convex member raising / lowering means 46, inserted into the concave groove 49 together with the flap portion 12, Is formed.

After the crease is formed, the convex member 44 is raised to the standby position by the convex member raising / lowering means 46, and the rear conveying motor 58 shown in FIG. 3 is rotated in the direction opposite to that before the application of the sealant and the crease is formed. The envelope 10 is conveyed to the front sealing part 5 by 51. At this time, since the formed fold is sandwiched between the insertion portions 47, if the envelope 10 is to be conveyed forward by the rear conveying means 51 installed behind the insertion portion 47, as shown in FIG. Clogging occurs.

Therefore, immediately before the forward conveyance of the rear conveyance means 51, as shown in FIG. 8, a predetermined amount of the envelope 10 is conveyed to the rear, which is opposite to the conveyance direction, and is sandwiched in the concave groove 49 which is the insertion portion 47. After pulling out the crease as it is, it is carried forward in the carrying direction. As a result, it is possible to release the state in which the fold of the formed flap portion 12 is not easily removed from the concave groove 49 while being sandwiched by the concave groove 49, and to prevent the envelope 10 from being clogged.

The backward pulling amount, which is opposite to the conveying direction of the envelope 10 by the rear conveying means 51, is about 0.5 mm to 5 mm, preferably about 1 mm to 3 mm. The amount of insertion of the bent convex portion 48 into the insertion portion 47 is, for example, about 3 mm to 4 mm.

When the envelope 10 reaches the sealing portion 5, as shown in FIG. 9, the flap portion 12 comes into contact with the flap contact plate 81, the flap portion 12 is folded, and is folded between the press roller 56 and the conveying roller 55. The fold formed in the eye forming part 4 is pinched, the flap part 12 is folded, and the envelope 10 is conveyed forward. The envelope 10 is sealed by attaching the flap portion 12 to the envelope body 11 with the sealant applied in the sealant application portion 3. The envelope 10 is discharged downward from the space 60 shown in FIG. 3 and is loaded on the discharge stacking unit 6.

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the convex member lifting / lowering means 46 rotates the rotary shaft 88 in only one direction via the transmission means 89 by the rotation of the crease forming motor 50, thereby folding the convex member 44 from the standby position. In the second embodiment, instead of this, the crease forming motor 50 can be rotated forward and backward (not shown), and convex between forward rotation and reverse rotation. The lowering and raising of the member 44 are used properly. Also, as shown in FIG. 10, an elastic member 54 such as natural rubber, synthetic rubber, or foamed resin such as sponge is laid on the bottom of the concave groove 49a as the insertion portion 47a formed on the upper surface of the concave member 45a. Has been.

And the control part 7 is comprised so that adjustment of the insertion amount at the time of the bending convex part 48 being penetrated by the insertion part 47a by controlling the rotation amount of the crease | fold formation motor 50 is possible. Thus, when the paper forming the envelope 10 is strong, or when the contents of the envelope 10 are thick, the fold formed in the flap portion 12 is stuck to the envelope body 11 at the sealing portion 5. If there is a risk that it will float after being peeled off and peel off from the envelope body 11, a large crease is formed by increasing the insertion amount of the folding convex portion 48 into the insertion portion 47a and sealing is ensured. It can be controlled as much as possible. On the contrary, when the paper constituting the envelope 10 is weak, or when the contents of the envelope 10 are thin, by reducing the insertion amount of the bent convex portion 48 into the insertion portion 47a, It is possible to prevent wrinkles from occurring in the vicinity of the fold formation position of the flap portion 12 and to make the finish of the sealing process beautiful.

As described above, the control of inserting the bent convex portion 48 deeper into the concave groove 49 as the insertion portion 47a is performed by the user in the envelope 10 in which the envelope 10 for performing the sealing process is formed of relatively strong paper. If it is determined that the flap portion 12 is likely to be lifted from the envelope body 11 after the sealing process because the contents of the envelope 10 are thick, the setting means is set in advance before the sealing process. This is done by manually setting according to 65.

Further, when the control unit 7 controls to adjust the insertion amount of the bending convex portion 48 into the insertion portion 47a, the amount of pulling out the fold that is sandwiched between the concave grooves 49 by the rear conveying means 51 is It is possible to control to adjust according to the amount of insertion of the bent convex part 48 into the insertion part 47a. That is, when the insertion amount of the bending convex portion 48 into the insertion portion 47a is large, the pulling amount by the rear conveying means 51 is increased, and conversely, when the insertion amount of the bending convex portion 48 into the insertion portion 47a is small. Can be controlled by the control unit 7 so as to reduce the pull-out amount by the rear conveying means 51. Thereby, the fold can be surely pulled out from the insertion portion 47a, and the power and time required for transporting the envelope 10 in the direction opposite to the transport direction can be adjusted to necessary amounts.

Furthermore, as described above, when the paper forming the envelope 10 is strong, or when the contents of the envelope 10 are thick, the insertion amount of the bent convex portion 48 into the insertion portion 47a is usually set. The tip of the bent convex portion 48 can also be pressed to the elastic member 54 laid on the bottom of the concave groove 49 via the flap portion 12. In this case, the folding convex portion 48 descends to the vicinity of the bottom of the concave groove 49 against the elastic force of the elastic member 54, so that a clear crease can be formed by the flap portion 12, and sealing is performed. It is possible to adjust so as to be more reliable.

In the first and second embodiments, the supply unit 2 supplies the unsealed envelopes 10 one by one from the bottom, but the sealing device according to the present invention is not limited to this, and the topmost It is good also as a structure supplied sequentially from an envelope. Also, the sealing agent supply tool 31 is moved up and down by the sealing agent raising and lowering means 32 and the sealing agent is applied. The sealing agent supply tool is fixed and the envelope is moved so as to contact the sealing agent supply tool and the sealing agent is applied. It is good also as composition to do.

Further, the sealing agent has adhesiveness, and is configured by the adhesive layer holding tape 30 holding the adhesive layer. However, the sealing agent is not limited to this, and a liquid adhesive adhesive is supplied from the nozzle tip to a predetermined amount. It may be supplied at a timing, or a hot melt adhesive may be heated and melted and bonded. In addition, when sealing an envelope that has been previously coated with an adhesive on the flap and dried, water may be used as the sealing agent. The application means for applying water as a sealing agent includes a structure in which water stored in the tank is supplied from a nozzle tip that can be freely opened and closed, and a water-containing member such as a sponge containing water is brought into contact with the flap portion 12. The structure etc. to make are mentioned.

Moreover, although the position which apply | coats sealing agent was made into the flap part 12 of the envelope 10, it is not limited to this, The location which sticks the flap part of an envelope main body is made into the application | coating position of sealing agent, and it matches this application position. You may control the conveyance amount by a back conveyance means.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sealing apparatus 4 Fold formation part 5 Sealing part 7 Control part 10 Envelope 11 Envelope main body 12 Flap part 36 Application means 47, 47a Insertion part 48 Bending convex part 49 Concave groove 54 Elastic member 56 Press roller

Claims (5)

An application means for applying a sealing agent for sealing an unsealed envelope to at least one of application positions of the flap part or the part where the flap part of the envelope body is attached;
A crease forming part provided with a folding convex part for forming a crease in the flap part;
A sealing part provided with a press roller that sandwiches the crease formed in the crease forming part and attaches the flap part to the envelope body by the sealing agent applied by the application means, and seals the envelope;
In a sealing device provided with a control unit that controls the operation of each unit,
The crease forming part is provided with an insertion part for inserting the folding convex part,
The control unit inserts the folding convex portion into the insertion portion with the flap portion interposed therebetween, so that the envelope formed with the fold in the flap portion is sandwiched by the insertion portion when being conveyed to the sealing portion by the conveying means. Control is performed so that the flap portion is pulled out in a direction opposite to the envelope conveyance direction by a conveying means installed on the side opposite to the envelope conveyance direction to the sealing portion at the insertion portion installation position and then conveyed in the conveyance direction. Sealing device. The sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the bent convex portion is configured to be adjustable in an insertion amount when being inserted into the insertion portion. The sealing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an amount of pulling out in a direction opposite to the envelope conveying direction by the conveying means is configured to be adjustable according to the amount of insertion of the bent convex portion into the insertion portion. The insertion portion is constituted by a concave groove formed on the upper surface of the concave material,
The sealing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an elastic member is laid at the bottom of the groove. A sealing agent for sealing an unsealed envelope is applied by an application means to at least one of the application positions where the flap part or the flap part of the envelope body is adhered,
Form a fold by the folding convex part that forms a crease in the flap part,
In the sealing method in which the formed fold is sandwiched by a press roller, and the flap part is attached to the envelope body by the sealing agent applied by the application means and sealed.
Inserting the flap part sandwiched by the insertion part when the folding convex part is inserted into the insertion part with the flap part interposed, and the envelope with the crease formed in the flap part is conveyed to the sealing part by the conveying means. A sealing method in which a predetermined amount is pulled out in a direction opposite to the envelope conveyance direction by a conveyance means installed on the side opposite to the envelope conveyance direction to the sealing portion at the part installation position, and then conveyed in the conveyance direction.

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