JP2012061807A - Sealed letter creation device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sealed letter creation device that has a simple and compact configuration, yet is less likely to make enclosing mistakes and is suitable for creating one-to-one direct mail.SOLUTION: The sealed letter creation device 1 is provided with a printing section 2 for alternately printing an envelope and paper being a content, and an enclosing/sealing section 3. The enclosing/sealing section transfers the printed envelope on a first transfer path 10, transfers the printed paper being the content on a second transfer path 20, encloses the content into the envelope by an envelope opening/enclosing means 60 at a position in which both paths intersect, seals the envelope by a sealing means 70, and ejects the envelope to an ejection stocker 44.

Description

  The present invention provides an envelope that can automatically perform an operation of printing on an envelope or a sheet of envelope and a sheet of contents to be sealed as necessary, and enclosing and sealing the necessary contents in the envelope. The present invention relates to a creation device.

  When a company sales department or retailer manufactures DM (direct mail), ask the printer to print the encapsulated paper, and print the address printed on the envelope with their own copier. In some cases, paper printing and envelope printing may be performed by different printing means. In such a case, it is common to use a table sealing machine having a relatively simple configuration or to manually seal the printed paper in an envelope. Although there are apparatuses that continuously and automatically process from printing to enclosing and sealing, since they are expensive and require a large installation area, it is difficult to purchase them at a customer whose DM is not frequently produced.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-151620 describes a sealing and sealing machine that includes a sheet folding unit that folds a sheet to be sealed in an envelope and can be used as a desktop sealing and sealing machine as described above. The apparatus includes an automatic sheet feeder that automatically feeds the topmost sheet from the loaded sheet bundle to the sheet folding unit, and a manual sheet feeding unit that feeds the manually fed sheet to the sheet folding unit. The automatic sheet feeding mode, the manual sheet supply mode, and the mix mode for simultaneously supplying sheets from the automatic sheet feeder and the manual sheet feeder can be selected and driven.

JP-A-7-52596

  In order to create a 1 to 1 direct mail in which the printed content of the encapsulated paper is different for each envelope, when using the desktop encapsulating sealer as described in Patent Document 1, the encapsulant to be set on the paper feed tray It was necessary to match the stacking order of the sheets with the stacking order of the envelopes set on the envelope sheet feed table. However, as described above, the envelope is printed in-house, but the output order is different between the paper and the envelope printed by different means in different places, as in the case of outsourcing the contents, Since there may be differences in conditions such as the presence or absence of interleaving paper, sufficient confirmation was necessary to prevent misenclosure when setting on the paper feed stand of the desktop enclosing and sealing machine. In addition, in the manual sealing work, it takes a lot of man-hours to prevent erroneous sealing, and the processing may take a long time.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and performs printing on an envelope (or a sheet to be an envelope) and a sheet of necessary contents (including a case where it does not exist), and the contents are sealed in an envelope. With a simple and compact configuration, the user can only perform work on the user's side because it is easy and compact, but it is difficult to enclose the contents or mistakenly insert the contents into the envelope. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sealed letter creation apparatus that can perform efficient sealed letter creation, and is particularly suitable for creating 1-to-1 direct mail.

The sealed letter creating apparatus according to claim 1 is:
In the envelope creation device that performs printing on the envelope and the contents, and encloses and seals the contents in the envelope to create a seal,
For each envelope to be created, a printing section for printing the envelope and the contents, respectively,
A first transport path for transporting the envelope printed by the printing unit;
A second transport path for transporting the contents printed by the printing unit;
An encapsulated sealing part that is disposed at a position where the first path and the second path merge, and seals after the contents are sealed in the envelope;
It is characterized by having.

The sealed letter creating apparatus according to claim 2 is the sealed letter creating apparatus according to claim 1,
The envelope is configured by folding the paper to be the envelope,
The first transport path is provided with first folding means for folding the envelope sheet into the envelope shape,
The enclosing and sealing unit is characterized in that the encapsulating portion is sealed after enclosing the contents in a sheet of the envelope folded by the first folding means.

The sealed letter creating apparatus according to claim 3 is the sealed letter creating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The content is configured by folding a sheet to be the content,
The second transport path is provided with an alignment unit that holds the sheet serving as the contents, and a second folding unit that folds the sheet serving as the contents held by the alignment unit,
The enclosing and sealing unit is characterized in that the envelope is sealed after enclosing the sheet as the contents folded by the second folding means.

  Here, the envelope in the present invention means not only an ordinary envelope formed in a bag shape but also a sheet before being folded into a bag shape. In the case of an envelope in the normal sense, it may be a commercial off-the-shelf product or one created by itself. Further, in the present invention, the contents are sealed in an envelope as necessary. Therefore, the contents are not required in the envelope of the envelope, and only the envelope that does not enclose the contents is also included in the present invention. It is included in the range of the sealed letter produced by the sealed letter making apparatus. Furthermore, in the present invention, it is not always necessary to fold and enclose the sheet as the contents into the envelope, and the envelope may be encapsulated in the form of the printed sheet.

  According to the envelope creation apparatus described in claim 1, a common printing unit that prints on the envelope and the contents alternately prints and discharges the envelope and the contents for each envelope to be created. Then, the printed envelope is transported through a dedicated first transport path, the printed contents are transported through a dedicated second transport path, and the sealed sealing portion provided at a position where both transport paths meet It is possible to create a sealed letter by combining and sealing the envelope and contents without mistake. Therefore, it is suitable for creating 1-to-1 direct mails whose contents vary from envelope to envelope. Especially when creating envelopes using existing envelopes, the process from printing envelopes and contents to sealed envelopes is fully automatic and reliable. Can be executed.

  According to the envelope creation apparatus described in claim 2, the common printing unit that prints on the envelope and the contents should create a sheet that should be folded into an envelope and the corresponding contents. It prints out alternately for every sealed letter. Then, while the printed envelope paper is conveyed along the first dedicated conveyance path, it is folded by the first folding means to form the contents so that the contents can be received. In the enclosing sealing means provided at the position where the two conveying paths meet, the envelope sheet formed in a form capable of receiving the contents is aligned with the contents without error, and the envelope By folding the paper while it is further conveyed, the envelope shape is completed, the contents are enclosed and sealed, and a sealed letter can be created. Therefore, it is suitable for creating 1-to-1 direct mails with different contents for each envelope. After printing the envelope and the contents, the contents are inserted into the envelope while the contents are folded and sealed. A series of complicated processes leading up to can be performed automatically and reliably without mistakes.

  According to the envelope creation apparatus described in claim 3, the common printing unit that prints on the envelope and the contents includes an envelope or a sheet that should be folded to become an envelope, and a sheet that corresponds to the content. , Alternately print and discharge every sealed letter to be created. Then, while the printed envelope or the envelope paper is conveyed through the first dedicated conveyance path, the envelope sheet is folded by the first folding means to be formed into a form capable of receiving the contents and printed. Enclosed sealing means provided at a position where the two sheets of paper are merged together after being transported by the second transport path dedicated to the content and then folded by the second folding means to be the contents. , The envelope and the contents can be aligned without mistake, and the contents can be sealed in the envelope to create a sealed letter. Therefore, it is suitable for creating 1-to-1 direct mail with different contents for each envelope, etc., and enclosing the contents formed by folding the paper from the printing of the envelope or envelope paper and the content paper into the envelope Through the work, a series of complicated processes from sealing to sealing can be performed completely automatically and without mistakes.

It is typical sectional drawing which showed the flow of the envelope in the structure of the sealed letter preparation apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment, and the apparatus with the arrow. It is the typical sectional view which showed the structure of the sealed letter preparation device concerning a 1st embodiment, and the flow of the contents in the device with the arrow. It is a front view which shows the folding means which performs the folding operation | work of the contents in the sealed letter preparation apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a front view which shows the modification of the folding means which performs the folding operation | work of the contents in the sealed letter preparation apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. In the sealed letter preparation apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment, it is a process figure in the case of making contents into an inner trifold with a folding means. In the sealed letter preparation apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment, it is a process figure in the case of making contents into an inner trifold with a folding means. In the sealed letter preparation apparatus according to the first embodiment, (a) is a diagram showing a case where the contents are folded in three by the folding means, and (b) is a diagram showing a case where the contents are folded in four by the folding means. is there. In the sealed letter preparation apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment, it is process drawing which shows the enclosure process to the envelope of the content performed in an enclosure sealing part. In the sealed letter preparation apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment, it is process drawing which shows the enclosure process to the envelope of the content performed in an enclosure sealing part. FIG. 5 is a process diagram illustrating an envelope sealing process performed in an encapsulated sealing unit in the sealed letter creating apparatus according to the first embodiment. It is typical sectional drawing which showed the structure of the sealed letter preparation apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment, the sealing operation | work in the same apparatus, and the discharge process of the envelope after sealing. It is the typical sectional view which showed the structure of the letter creation apparatus concerning a 2nd embodiment, and the flow of envelope production in the apparatus with the arrow. It is the typical sectional view which showed the structure of the sealed letter preparation apparatus concerning a 2nd embodiment, and the flow of the contents in the apparatus with the arrow. It is typical sectional drawing which showed the structure of the sealed letter preparation apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, the sealing process in the same apparatus, and the discharge process of the envelope after sealing.

  An envelope preparation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention described below is a time-based method for preparing a ready-made envelope or a sheet to be enveloped by folding and a sheet (zero or more) as contents for each envelope to be manufactured. Print continuously in order of best efficiency, add necessary folds while transporting along different transport paths, merge at the end, fill the envelope, and finally close the envelope flap It is a device that discharges it in a sealed form.

  In the following embodiment, the case where an existing envelope is used is shown as the first embodiment, and the case where an envelope is manufactured by folding paper is shown as the second embodiment. In the first embodiment, the main body of the envelope and the fold of the flap are the central part when the flap is opened and closed. In the drawing, for convenience, a black circle (FIGS. 1, 20 and 12) or a white circle (FIGS. 8 to 10) is used. ). In the description of any of the embodiments, the movement path of a sheet or the like is indicated by an arrow in the drawing so as to correspond to the description.

1. 1st Embodiment (FIGS. 1-11)
The envelope preparation device 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 includes an envelope that has already been formed into a bag shape (for example, a ready-made envelope or the like) and zero or more sheets that are the contents for each envelope to be manufactured. In addition, the necessary printing is performed in an appropriate order by the common printing unit 2, and each of the contents is conveyed while being conveyed through a different conveyance path, and if necessary, the necessary folding is performed along the conveyance path. The two are joined together by an enclosing sealing means, and the contents are enclosed and sealed in an envelope, and aligned and discharged at the top of the apparatus.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sealed letter preparation apparatus 1 includes a printing unit 2 that prints and discharges an envelope and a sheet of contents. The printing unit 2 includes a plurality of paper feed bases P (P1 to P4) that can store a plurality of types of print bodies (sheet-like paper or envelopes) inside or on the side of a housing 4 that stores each unit of the apparatus. ). In this example, envelopes are stored in a paper feed base P1 attached to the side surface of the casing, and sheet-like sheets as contents are stored in the paper feed bases P2 to P4 provided inside the casing. .

  The sheets and the like that have come out of the sheet feed table P are sent from the introduction path to the loop-shaped conveyance path 5 and conveyed, and an image is printed by printing means arranged at a predetermined interval downward along the lower half of the conveyance path. It is formed. In this example, four inkjet devices C, K, M, and Y that discharge inks of cyan, black, magenta, and yellow, respectively, are arranged as printing means.

  The loop-shaped transport path 5 is provided with a first discharge path 6 that branches out of the loop in a substantially horizontal direction on the downstream side of the printing unit. Further, a second discharge path 7 for branching the sheet out of the loop is provided in the upper half of the loop-shaped transport path 5 in a branched manner. Furthermore, a switchback path 8 is branched between the second discharge path 7 and the introduction path from the sheet feed table P. The switchback path 8 is means for reversing the upper and lower sides of the paper in the transport path 5 by receiving the paper transported through the transport path 5 and returning it to the transport path 5. If this switchback path 8 is used and the upper and lower surfaces of the paper are reversed and passed through the transport path 5 twice, color double-sided printing that forms a color image on both sides of the paper with the inkjet devices C, K, M, and Y is performed. Can be done.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an envelope or a sheet sent from the first discharge path 6 of the printing unit 2 is received and processed in the adjacent part of the printing unit 2, and the sheet is sealed in the envelope. The sealing part 3 for sealing is provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, a first conveyance path 10 that conveys the envelope printed by the printing unit 2 is provided inside the housing 9 of the encapsulating sealing unit 3. The first transport path 10 is substantially parallel to one path 11 for sending the envelope sent in the horizontal direction from the first discharge path 6 of the printing unit 2 obliquely upward along the transport direction, and the path 11. The envelope stocker 12 is provided on the upper surface of the housing 9 in a slanting posture and temporarily stores envelopes sent from the path 11, and the other is taken into the housing 9 from the envelope stocker 12 and sent obliquely downward. Path 13.
At the end of the other path 13, an envelope reversing means 50, an envelope opening / sealing means 60 and a sealing means 70 as sealing means are provided, and their configuration and operation will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a second transport path 20 that transports the paper printed by the printing unit 2 is provided inside the housing 9 of the encapsulating sealing unit 3. The second transport path 20 is below the first transport path 10, and has one path 21 for feeding the paper fed in the horizontal direction from the first discharge path 6 of the printing unit 2 obliquely downward. is doing.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the middle of the path 21, a sheet transport roller 22 and an aligning section 23 that is an openable and closable gate are provided, and the transported sheet is placed in the aligning section 23 that closes the path 21. By being fastened, the sheets can be stacked and stored in the path 21. A folding means for folding the paper is provided at the end of the path 21. This folding means is provided with a rotatable central main folding roller A, and further, a first folding roller B, a second folding roller C, and one sheet conveying roller D can rotate to the main folding roller A, respectively. It is provided in contact with. Further, at two locations near the first and second folding rollers B and C, there are provided abutting members 24 and 25 against which the leading ends of the sheets nipped and conveyed by the folding rollers A, B and C and the conveying roller D abut. In addition, the sheet that has been transported and struck is deflected to guide the sheet bending portion between the other two folding rollers A, B and A, C, so that the sheet can be folded twice or more.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the positions of the abutting members 24 and 25 are variable, and the folding length can be adjusted. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, transport rollers 24a and 25a are provided in place of the abutting members 24 and 25, and the rotation of the transport rollers 24a and 25a is stopped to perform the same function as the abutting members 24 and 25. May be.

The sheet folding process by the folding rollers A, B, C, etc. will be described with reference to FIGS. In these drawings, the matching unit 23 is not shown for convenience.
As shown in FIG. 5A, the sheet 30 sent by the sheet conveying roller 22 along the path 21 is nipped and conveyed between the main folding roller A and the sheet conveying roller D. As shown in FIG. 5B, the paper 30 is nipped and conveyed by the main folding roller A and the paper conveying roller D, and the leading end of the paper 30 abuts against the abutting member 24. As shown in FIG. 5C, the sheet 30 is further conveyed with the leading end abutting against the abutting member 24. Therefore, the sheet 30 is slack along the shape of the path within the path 21, so that the main folding roller A and the It is sandwiched between the one folding roller B. As shown in FIG. 4D, the sheet 30 is sandwiched between the main folding roller A and the first folding roller B and folded in half while being conveyed.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the sheet 30 hits the second abutting member 25 and is further conveyed and sagging along the shape of the path in the path 21, so that the main folding roller A and the second folding roller A are folded. It is sandwiched between rollers C. As shown in FIG. 6B, the sheet 30 is conveyed by the main folding roller A and the second folding roller C and is folded in three, and the inner folding is completed as shown in FIG. .

  In addition, if the position of the 1st abutting member 24 is moved away from a folding part as shown to Fig.7 (a), it can be set as an outer trifold, and as shown to the same figure (b), it is 1st. If the position of the abutting member 24 is moved far from the folding part and the position of the second abutting member 25 is moved closer to the folding part, it can be folded in four.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the inside of the housing 9 of the encapsulating and sealing unit 3, the second transport path 20 continues the sheet 30 folded by the folding means in an obliquely upward direction substantially orthogonal to the path 21. It has the other path | route 26 to convey. The other path 26 is at a position below the other path 13 of the first conveying path 10 that sends the envelope obliquely downward, and forms the envelope reversing means 50 and a part of the enclosing sealing means. The unsealing / sealing means 60 joins the path 13 of the first transport path 10.

  As shown in part of FIGS. 1 and 8, the envelope reversing means 50 includes a sheet conveying roller a, sheet conveying rollers b and g disposed around the sheet conveying roller a, and 2 extending downward and obliquely upward. It comprises two paths 27 and 28. The envelope 40 sent from the other path 13 of the first transport path 10 enters between the sheet transport rollers a and g in a posture in which the flap F is on the lower side and the left side, and is nipped and transported to the lower path 27. It is done. Further, as shown in FIG. 8 (a), the envelope 40 is sandwiched between the paper transport rollers a and b and sent to the path 28 obliquely upward, and as shown in FIG. 8 (b), the flap F is on the upper side and It is sent to an envelope opening / sealing means 60 described later in a posture on the left side.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, the envelope unsealing and sealing means 60 includes the above-described paper transport rollers a and b, a path 28 extending obliquely upward from these paper transport rollers a and b, and a horizontal path. 29, a paper transport roller c for transporting the envelope and the paper 30 in both forward and reverse directions along the horizontal path 29, a paper transport roller d for transporting the envelope in which the paper 30 is enclosed, and a reciprocating swing that opens the flap of the envelope It has a movable opening claw 41.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, the envelope 40 whose posture has been reversed by the envelope reversing means 50 is carried along the horizontal path 29 by the sheet conveying rollers c carried in by the sheet conveying rollers a and b and further forwardly rotated. It is sent. As shown in FIG. 4B, the envelope 40 is positioned at a predetermined position and stopped by the rotation of the paper transport roller c and the paper transport roller d which are reversed. As shown in FIGS. 5C to 5E, the opening claw 41 moves to the opening position to open the flap F of the envelope 40, and the folded 1 that has been conveyed along the second conveying path 20 is folded. A sheet or a plurality of sheets 30 (there may be no sheet 30) is fed into the envelope 40 by the sheet conveying rollers a to c. During this time, the position of the envelope 40 is fixed by the paper transport roller d.

  As shown in FIG. 9A, the folded paper 30 is enclosed in an envelope 40 with an enlarged opening, and the encapsulation is completed. As shown in FIG. 5B, the opening claw 41 returns to the standby position, and as shown in FIGS. 5C to 5D, the envelope 40 is moved by the rotation of the paper transport roller c and the paper transport roller d that are reversed. Then send it to the back.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, the envelope 40 or the like sent out from the paper transport roller d is sent to the sealing means 70 through a path 42 that is inclined and inclined upward and forward. This path 42 is located above the other path 13 that is directed obliquely below the first transport path 10, and is disposed substantially parallel to this. Above this path 42, a pair of paper transport rollers e and f constituting the sealing means 70 are provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 10A to 10C, the envelope 40 sent along the path 42 hits the end of the path 42, and the fold 43 of the flap F breaks between the paper transport rollers e and f. enter. At the same time, if the paper transport rollers e and f are driven, the envelope 40 is sent to the upper surface side of the housing 9 with the flap F being closed.

  As shown in FIG. 11, a discharge stocker 44 is installed on the upper surface of the housing 9 behind the envelope stocker 12 described above and substantially in parallel with the envelope stocker 12. That is, when the completed envelopes 45) are sequentially sent out, they can be accepted. These sealed letters 45 are sequentially moved obliquely upward while being stacked on the discharge stocker 44 in an orderly manner.

  Next, in the envelope preparation apparatus 1 of the present embodiment described above, a name or the like is printed on the ready-made envelope 40, and further, necessary printing is performed on a plurality of sheets 30 and folded, and the sheet 30 is enclosed in the envelope 40. The overall procedure for sealing will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the printing unit 2, the envelope 40 is sent out from the paper feed tray P <b> 1, and the both sides of the envelope 40 are moved by the inkjet apparatuses C, K, M, and Y while making a round of the loop-shaped conveyance path 5. Printed. Instead of duplex printing, simplex printing can also be selected. The envelope 40 enters the sealed envelope portion 3, enters the envelope stacker 12 from one path 11 of the first conveyance path 10, enters the envelope reversing means 50 from the other path 13, reverses the posture, and opens the envelope. It is sent to the sealing means 60. As shown in FIGS. 8A to 8E, the envelope 40 stands by in a state where the flap F is opened by the opening claw 41 and the opening is opened.

  As shown in FIG. 2, following the envelope 40, the paper 30 is fed from one of the paper feed trays P2 to P4 into the loop-shaped conveyance path 5 with a predetermined fixed interval, and this conveyance path is made one round. In the meantime, both sides of the paper 30 are printed by the inkjet devices C, K, M, and Y. Instead of duplex printing, simplex printing can also be selected. The sheets 30 are stored in the aligning unit 23 of the second transport path 20 until the necessary number of sheets is collected, and when the necessary number of sheets is aligned, the aligning unit 23 is opened and sent to the folding unit. The paper 30 folded into a desired state by the folding means passes through the envelope reversing means 50 and is sent to the envelope opening / sealing means 60. That is, as shown in FIGS. 8C to 8E and FIGS. 9A to 9D, a plurality of folded sheets 30 are enclosed in an envelope 40.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the envelope 40 in which the paper 30 is sealed is sent to the sealing means 70, and the flap F is closed by passing through the paper transport rollers e and f. 44 is discharged.

  According to the envelope creation apparatus of the present embodiment, the common printing unit 2 that performs printing on the envelope 40 and the content sheet 30 alternately prints and discharges the envelope 40 and the sheet 30 for each envelope 45 to be created. The printed envelope 40 is transported by the dedicated first transport path 10, and the printed paper 30 is transported by the dedicated second transport path 20, so that the end points of both transport paths 10, 20 intersect each other. Since the paper 30 is sealed in the envelope 40 by the provided envelope opening and sealing means 60, the combination of the contents and the envelope 40 is unlikely to occur. Therefore, it is suitable for creating 1-to-1 direct mails whose contents vary from envelope to envelope. Especially when creating envelopes using existing envelopes, the process from printing envelopes and contents to sealed envelopes is fully automatic and reliable. Can be executed.

  Further, in this embodiment, the envelope 40 is set on the paper feed tray P1 of the printing unit 2 and sent to the sealed sealing unit 3 after printing. If the envelopes 40 have already been printed, they are stacked in a predetermined order, 12 may be installed and supplied. Further, in the case where the envelope 40 is set on the paper feed tray P1 of the printing unit 2 and is sent to the encapsulating sealing unit 3 after printing, in the embodiment, the envelope 40 is once discharged to the envelope stocker 12 and then the first transport path again. In this case, the envelope 40 may be sent directly from the printing unit 2 to the other path 13 without going through the first path 11.

  Further, in the sealed enclosure part 3 of this embodiment, the first transport path 10 for transporting the envelope 40 has a path 13 disposed obliquely downward at the center upper part in the housing 9, Below, a second transport path 20 that transports the paper 30 is obliquely upward and a path 21 that faces obliquely downward so as to be substantially parallel to the path 13 of the first transport path 10. The end of both conveying paths 10 and 20 are joined by the envelope reversing means 50 and the envelope opening / sealing means 60. Further, a path 42 extending from the envelope opening / sealing means 60 to the sealing portion 70 is disposed above the path 13 of the first transport path 10 and obliquely upward so as to be substantially parallel thereto. In this way, many conveyance paths are efficiently constructed with a minimum gap by effectively using the space in the housing 9, and the envelope 40 and the paper 30 are separated from each other so that it is difficult to cause a sealing error. Despite the structure, the overall structure is very compact. Further, as a result of the configuration of the transport path as described above, the created sealed letter 45 is pushed out in alignment with the discharge stocker 44 provided obliquely on the upper surface of the casing 9 that is easy to be taken out. Is convenient to handle.

2. Second Embodiment (FIGS. 12 to 14)
The sealed letter producing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 12 to 14 performs processing for each sealed letter to be produced. That is, necessary printing is performed in an appropriate order on the paper 30 that is folded into the envelope 40 and zero or more sheets 30 that are the contents using the common printing unit 2. For the paper 30 to be the envelope 40 while being transported through the transport paths of different systems, the paper 30 is folded so as to be in the form of the envelope 40, and if the contents are present, this is necessary. Fold it. And finally, both are merged by the sealing means, the contents are sealed and sealed in the envelope 40, and are arranged and discharged as a completed sealed letter on the upper part of the apparatus.
In this embodiment, the envelope 40 is a bag having a structure substantially similar to the envelope 40 described in the first embodiment, although not shown in FIGS. A reference numeral 40 similar to that of the embodiment is used for the description.

  In the present embodiment, the printing unit 2, the second conveyance path 20 that is provided in the enclosing sealing unit 3 ′ and conveys the sheet 30 as the contents, and folding means (folding rollers A to F) for folding the contents sheet 30. The configuration of C, the paper transport roller D, etc.) is the same as that in the first embodiment. Therefore, components that are the same as or equivalent to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and the description of the first embodiment is avoided to avoid repeated description. In the necessary description, the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are used. Hereinafter, the first transport path 10 ′ for transporting the paper 30 to be the envelope 40, the folding means for the paper 30 to be the envelope 40, and the content paper 30 to be aligned with the paper 30 to be the envelope 40 are used for sealing. The structure of the enclosing sealing means to be created and the overall operation will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the sealed letter preparation device 1 ′, the first discharge path 6 of the printing unit 2 extends horizontally and is introduced into the housing 9 of the adjacent sealed sealing unit 3 ′. In the housing 9, the second transport path 20 branches obliquely downward from the discharge path 6, and the further downstream is one path 11 ′ of the first transport path 10 ′. It is extended to. One path 11 ′ of the first transport path 10 ′ is disposed substantially parallel to one path 21 of the second transport path 20. One path 11 ′ of the first transport path 10 ′ is a guide path for transporting the paper 30 serving as the envelope 40 to the folding means, and as described above, one path 21 of the second transport path 20 is the contents. The first and second transport paths 10 ′ and 20 are switched by a switching flap (not shown) provided at a branch point of the second transport path 20.

  At the end of one path 11 ′ of the first transport path 10 ′, folding means for folding the paper 30 to form the envelope 40 is provided. This folding means is provided with a rotatable main folding roller A ', a sheet conveying roller D' and a first folding roller B 'that rotate in contact therewith.

  Between the main folding roller A ′ and the first folding roller B ′ of the folding means of the first transport path 10 ′, the other path 13 ′ of the first transport path 10 ′ is curved in a convex shape upward. In addition, the enclosing means that constitutes a part of the enclosing sealing means is provided at the end thereof.

The enclosing means is provided with a rotatable main folding roller A ″, a sheet conveying roller D ″ rotating in contact therewith, and first and second folding rollers B ″, C ″. Further, below the main folding roller A ″, there is provided a path 46 for guiding the paper 30 coming out of the main folding roller A ″ and the paper conveying roller D ″ downward.

  When necessary, the paper 30 to be the envelope 40 is folded before the sealing by the folding means, and is sent to the main folding roller A ″, which is the sealing means, for receiving the contents. The unfinished envelope that has just been placed waits in the path 46 to receive alignment of the contents with the paper 30 and subsequent folding, which is necessary in the case of a quadruple envelope. However, in the case of a tri-fold envelope, it is unnecessary, so it passes through the folding means without being folded, and the unfinished envelope waits on the path 46 for alignment of the contents with the paper 30. However, this is the case where the envelope first arrives at the merge position, and the content or the envelope, whichever arrives first at the merge position, waits.

  Further, the end of the other path 26 of the second transport path 20 is connected between the main folding roller A ″ and the first folding roller B ″ of the enclosing unit. In the second conveying path 20, the sheet 30 of the contents appropriately folded by the folding means (main folding roller A etc.) is sent to the main folding roller A "etc. of the enclosing means via the other path 26, and the path 46 is aligned with the unfinished envelope 40 'waiting at 46. The unfinished envelope 40' and the content sheet 30 are folded by the main folding roller A "and the first and second rollers B", C ". By the molding, the paper 30 is molded in the envelope 40.

  A path 47 is disposed obliquely upward and forward from between the main folding roller A ″ and the second folding roller C ″ of the enclosing means. This path 47 is substantially parallel to one path 11 ′ of the first transport path 10 ′ and one path 21 of the second transport path 20. In the middle of the path 47, a sealing roller 80 is provided as a sealing means constituting a part of the sealing means. The sealing roller 80 bonds the periphery of the envelope 40 in which the contents are sealed by the sealing means, and seals the envelope 40.

  The envelopes 40 sealed by the sealing roller 80 are discharged to a discharge tray 48 provided on the upper surface of the housing 9, and are sequentially stacked to wait for removal.

  Next, in the sealed letter making apparatus 1 ′ of the present embodiment described above, a name or the like is printed on the paper 30 that becomes the envelope 40, and the necessary printing is performed on the plurality of papers 30 to be folded, and the paper 30 is folded. The overall procedure for enclosing and sealing the paper 30 in the envelope 40 formed in the above will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 12, in the printing unit 2, the paper 30 for forming the envelope 40 by folding is sent out from the paper feed base P1. In the present embodiment, the paper 30 of the envelope 40 may be on any of the paper feed trays P1 to P4 of the printing unit 2. This sheet 30 is printed on both sides by the inkjet devices C, K, M, and Y while making one round of the loop-shaped conveyance path 5. It is also possible to select single-sided printing instead of double-sided printing. In general, an address or the like is printed on the outer surface of the envelope 40, and the inner surface of the envelope 40 should be sent to the destination together with the content that is not enclosed or the printed content of the enclosed content. Some information is printed as needed. Information printed on the inner surface of the envelope 40 can be read by the recipient opening the envelope 40.

The paper 30 serving as the envelope 40 is sent to the folding means from one path 11 ′ of the first transport path 10 ′ by switching a switching flap (not shown). The sheet 30 is fed forward by the main folding roller A ′ and the sheet conveying roller D ′, and abuts against an abutting member (not shown) to bend, and the main folding roller A ′ and the first folding roller B ′ start from the bent portion. The sheet is sandwiched and conveyed further, and a crease is formed at a part of the leading end in the sheet passing direction. Although shown in FIG. 12 so as not to be pulled out of the apparatus and overlapped with the apparatus, an unfinished envelope 40 ′, which is partially folded, is conveyed to the main folding roller A ″ and the sheet conveying roller D ″ of the enclosing means. Is sent to the path 46 and waits at the same position in a posture in which the folded portion at the lower end is directed to the second transport path 20 side.

  As shown in FIG. 13, following the paper 30 that becomes the envelope 40, the paper 30 that is necessary as the contents at predetermined intervals is transferred from any of the paper feed trays P <b> 2 to P <b> 4 to the loop-shaped transport path 5. Then, both sides of the paper 30 are printed by the ink jet apparatuses C, K, M, and Y while making two rounds of the conveyance path. It is also possible to select single-sided printing instead of double-sided printing. The content sheet 30 is sent to one path 21 of the second transport path 20 by switching a switching flap (not shown). The sheets 30 are stored in the aligning portion 23 in one path 21 of the second carrying path 20 until the required number of sheets is collected, and when the required number of sheets is aligned, the aligning portion 23 is opened to the folding means (main folding roller A or the like). It is sent. The sheet 30 folded in a desired state by a plurality of foldings performed by the folding unit is sent to the enclosing unit (main folding roller A ″ or the like) through the other path 22 of the second transport path 20. In the embodiment, the sheet 30 is folded inside 3. Although the paper 30 is drawn out of the apparatus so as not to overlap with the apparatus in Fig. 13, the sheet 30 is folded inside the unfinished envelope 40 '. In this embodiment, the unfinished envelope 40 ′ is first fed to the sealing means, and then the content sheet 30 is folded to the sealing means. Sent in reverse order.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the content sheet 30 is wrapped inside by the main folding roller A ″ and the first and second folding rollers B ″, C ″ of the enclosing means with the sheet 30 serving as the envelope 40 facing outward. The paper 30 is wrapped inside the envelope 40.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the sheet 30 of the envelope 40 in which the contents are enclosed enters a path 47 inclined obliquely upward toward the upper surface of the housing 9, and passes through the sealing roller 80 so that the periphery is The envelope 40 is sealed and the envelope 40 is sealed. In addition, by applying a pressure sensitive adhesive in advance to the bonding surface of the paper 30 to be the envelope 40, sealing can be performed by pressurization by the sealing roller 80 described above. However, sealing may be performed using other conventionally known means or a normal adhesive.

  Then, the sealed letter completed after the sealing and sealing is completed is discharged to a discharge tray 48 provided on the upper surface of the housing 9, and is sequentially stacked to wait for removal.

  According to the envelope creation apparatus 1 ′ of the present embodiment, the common printing unit 2 that performs printing on the sheet 30 serving as the envelope 40 and the sheet 30 of the content includes the sheet 30 and the content of the envelope 40 for each envelope to be created. The paper 30 of the envelope 40 is alternately printed and ejected, and the paper 30 of the envelope 40 is bent while being conveyed through the dedicated first conveying path 10 ′, and the content paper 30 is formed into the dedicated second conveying path 20. The envelope 40 is completed by folding the sheet 30 while wrapping it in the sheet 30 of the envelope 40 in the enclosing means provided at the position where the ends of both conveyance paths intersect. Therefore, since the envelope and contents are produced in the same process using a general sheet-like paper 30, and the sealed envelope is produced by performing the process up to the encapsulating seal completely and without error, the work is efficient. It is excellent in economic efficiency, and is unlikely to cause a difference in the combination of contents and envelopes, so that it is suitable for creating 1-to-1 direct mail in which contents differ for each envelope. Also, the envelope 40 is completed by aligning the contents of the sheet with the sheet that has not been completed as an envelope after being partially folded, and then folding the both sheets together to complete the envelope 40. There are fewer insertion errors than when inserting the contents through the opening.

  In addition, in the sealed encapsulating portion 3 ′ of this embodiment, one path 11 ′ of the first transport path 10 ′ for transporting the paper 30 serving as the envelope 40 and the second transport path for transporting the content paper 30. One path 21 of 20, a main folding roller A ″ as a sealing means, and a path 47 provided with a sealing roller 80 are all arranged obliquely so as to be substantially parallel to each other. The end of the other path 13 ′ of the transport path 10 ′ and the end of the other path 22 of the second transport path 20 are respectively connected to the main folding roller A ″ that is an enclosing means. Further, the last path 47 provided with the sealing roller 80 reaches the upper surface of the housing 9. As described above, many transport paths are efficiently constructed with a minimum gap by effectively using the space in the housing 9, and the paper 30 serving as the envelope 40 and the paper 30 of the contents are transported by different systems. In spite of its exquisite structure that makes it difficult for mistakes to be made, the overall structure is very compact. Further, as a result of the configuration of the transport path as described above, the created sealed letter is pushed out in alignment with the discharge tray 48 provided obliquely on the upper surface of the casing 9 which is easy to be taken out. Handling is convenient.

3. About Modified Examples of Embodiments The sealed letter preparation apparatuses 1 and 1 ′ of the embodiments described above include the printing unit 2, but the printing unit 2 may be an existing image forming apparatus. That is, a normal image forming apparatus already installed in a business office or the like is used as the printing unit 2 in the present invention, and the sealed sealing units 3 and 3 ′ are connected to the printing unit 2 in the present invention, can do. For this reason, the envelope and the contents can be printed by using one existing image forming apparatus, and the installation cost of the automatic envelope preparation apparatus can be reduced.

  Further, as the image forming apparatus, the ink jet apparatus described in the embodiment may be used, or other types of image forming means may be used, and the image forming principle is not limited.

  In each of the embodiments, the case where one or a plurality of sheets of paper are folded and sealed in an envelope as the contents has been mainly described. However, a so-called self-mailer that ships only by an envelope having the necessary contents printed on the inner surface. In this case, it is not necessary to print or enclose the paper as the contents.

  Further, even when the contents are present, it is not always necessary to fold the sheets of contents, and depending on the size of the envelope, the original size may be sealed without being folded. In such a case, the enclosing and sealing portions 3 and 3 ′ of the sealed letter preparation apparatuses 1 and 1 ′ do not need a folded portion (folding roller or the like) of the content paper 30.

  In each embodiment, a sheet-like sheet is used as the envelope and the contents. However, for example, a roll-like sheet is used, and it is cut and supplied to a required length each time it is used. Good.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,1 '... Sealed letter preparation apparatus 2 ... Printing part 3, 3' ... Enclosed sealing part 10, 10 '... 1st conveyance path 11, 11' ... One path 13, 13 '... 1st conveyance path The other path of one transport path 20 ... the second transport path 21 ... the one path of the second transport path 26 ... the other path of the second transport path 30 ... the paper 40 ... the envelope 40 '... the unfinished envelope 50 ... Envelope reversing means 60 ... Envelope opening / sealing means 70 which is a part of sealed sealing means 70 ... Sealing means which is a part of sealed sealing means 80 ... Sealing rollers as sealing means which are a part of sealed sealing means A, A '... Main folding roller as folding means B '... first folding roller as folding means C ... second folding roller as folding means D, D' ... paper transport roller as folding means A "... main as enclosing means constituting a part of enclosing sealing means Folding roller B "... first folding roller as a sealing means constituting a part of the sealing means C" ... second folding roller as a sealing means constituting a part of the sealing means D "... one of the sealing means Paper transport roller as enclosing means constituting the part a ... Paper transport roller as envelope reversing means b ... Paper transport roller as envelope reversing means g ... Paper transport roller as envelope reversing means 27 ... Path as envelope reversing means 28 ... Route as envelope reversing means

Claims (3)

In the envelope creation device that performs printing on the envelope and the contents, and encloses and seals the contents in the envelope to create a seal,
For each envelope to be created, a printing section for printing the envelope and the contents, respectively,
A first transport path for transporting the envelope printed by the printing unit;
A second transport path for transporting the contents printed by the printing unit;
An encapsulated sealing part that is disposed at a position where the first path and the second path merge, and seals after the contents are sealed in the envelope;
A sealed letter creating apparatus comprising: The sealed letter creating apparatus according to claim 1,
The envelope is configured by folding the paper to be the envelope,
The first transport path is provided with first folding means for folding the envelope sheet into the envelope shape,
The sealed enveloping apparatus is characterized in that the encapsulating sealing unit seals the content after enclosing the content in a sheet of the envelope folded by the first folding means. The sealed letter creating apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The content is configured by folding a sheet to be the content,
The second transport path is provided with an alignment unit that holds the sheet serving as the contents, and a second folding unit that folds the sheet serving as the contents held by the alignment unit,
The sealed sealing device is characterized in that the sealed sealing part seals the envelope after the sheet as the contents folded by the second folding means is sealed.

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