JP3106346B2 - Automatic envelope sealing device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic envelope sealing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, direct mail and home delivery service (home delivery service) are increasingly used as means for transmitting information using printed materials as a medium. Under such circumstances, the work of packing printed matter as information in an envelope and further sealing the envelope is increasing. In view of this, various automatic envelope sealing devices have recently been proposed (for example, JP-A-7-25197). These automatic envelope closing devices raise an envelope flap sent from the insertion / ejection opening into the case main body by the envelope feeding mechanism, and further attach the flap to the envelope main body using an adhesive tape or glue. It has. The envelope sealed in this way is discharged from the insertion / ejection opening by reversing the envelope feeding mechanism.

The automatic sealing mechanism using the above-mentioned adhesive tape includes an envelope feeding mechanism for inserting and ejecting an envelope, a flap bending mechanism for bending a flap of the fed envelope, a tape pulling mechanism for pulling a tape from a tape roll,
A tape attaching mechanism for attaching the adhesive tape to the flap, a tape cutting mechanism for cutting the tape, and the like are provided. The envelope feeding mechanism includes an insertion / ejection roller for drawing the envelope inserted into the apparatus further or ejecting the sealed envelope, and pressing the tip of the envelope sent inside via a tape. And a pressing roller for adhering the flap to the envelope body. These rollers are driven by rotation of a motor, but in each case, only one of a pair of rollers is driven by the motor, and the other roller is obtained by pressing against one driven roller. It is designed to rotate by frictional force.

[0004]

As described above, in the case where the driving force of the motor is transmitted to only one of the pair of pressing rollers, the roller which is not driven (the driven roller) When the front end of the envelope collides with the roller, there is a problem that the envelope cannot be sent between the rollers. That is, since the frictional force between the rollers when the envelope is not interposed between the rollers is small, the roller stops when the leading end of the envelope with the flap folded against the driven roller, and the envelope is dislodged. In some cases, it may be impossible to send. Especially for thick envelopes,
Since the clearance between the rollers is large, the resistance to the driven roller is increased, and there is a problem that the sealing of the roller is apt to occur due to the stoppage of the roller.
Further, when the diameter of the roller is reduced in order to reduce the size of the apparatus, or when the insertion / ejection roller is driven at a high speed as the processing speed is increased, the problem becomes remarkable.

[0005]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is arranged such that any one of a pair of pressing rollers is forcibly driven by a motor via a train. Accordingly, even if the leading end of the envelope collides with any of the rollers, the rotation of the rollers is not hindered, and it is possible to always feed the envelope between the pair of pressing rollers, thereby preventing the occurrence of poor sealing.

[0006]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An automatic envelope sealing device according to the present invention includes an envelope feeding mechanism for inserting and ejecting an envelope, a flap bending mechanism for bending an envelope flap, a tape pulling mechanism for pulling out an adhesive tape for sealing the envelope, and It comprises a tape cutting mechanism that cuts the tape drawn by the tape pulling mechanism into a predetermined length, and a tape sticking mechanism that sticks the tape to the flap. The above-mentioned envelope feeding mechanism folds a pair of insertion / ejection rollers for inserting / ejecting the envelope, and a flap of the envelope inserted by these insertion / ejection rollers so as to be attached to the envelope body via a tape, and the folding position. And a pair of pressing rollers for pressing the pressing roller. The pair of pressing rollers are connected to the motor via a train so as to be forcibly driven by the motor.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in FIG. 1, a side plate 1 and a side plate 2 are provided in parallel with each other at intervals so that envelopes of various sizes can be inserted. The side plates 1, 2 are by <br/> Ri connected and fixed to the ball scan projecting in opposite directions. At the front ends of the side plates 1 and 2, an envelope guide 3 serving as a guide when the envelope 4 is inserted or ejected is detachably attached to a case (not shown). When the envelope 4 is to be inserted into the case from the envelope guide 3, the flap 4a at the front end is opened and this portion is inserted first. Between the side plates 1 and 2, a support portion 2 b protruding inward from each side
A guide 5 is provided to guide the leading end of the envelope inserted above (see FIG. 2). The guide 5 is provided with a detection lever 5a for detecting the insertion of the envelope 4 so as to be able to swing up and down.

At the front of the guide 5, insertion / ejection rollers 6, 7 constituting an envelope feeding mechanism are provided so as to face up and down. A flap bending mechanism including a bender lever 8 for bending the flap 4a of the envelope 4 is provided downstream of the insertion / ejection rollers 6,7. The bender lever 8 can be driven by a flap bending motor 9 via a wheel train R3 described later (see FIG. 4). Further, a guide 10 is provided on the downstream side of the bender lever 8, and the pressing rollers 11, 12 are vertically opposed to the downstream side of the guide.
4) can be forcibly driven. Further, a guide 13 is provided downstream of the pressing rollers 11 and 12. The guide 13 is provided with a detection lever 13a similar to the detection lever 5a of the guide 5, and can detect that the leading end of the envelope has reached the dead end position. The drive roller of the insertion / ejection roller 6 and the pressing rollers 11 and 12 both rotate the rotation of the envelope feed motor 14 in the trains R1 and R2 (FIGS.
), And are forcibly rotated at a constant speed as described later.

Above the bender lever 8, there is provided a receiving table 15 formed so that the flap 4a of the envelope to be stuck and the tape T can be abutted. The pedestal 15 is disposed between the side plate 1 and the side plate 2 (see FIG. 1), and a small projection is formed on the front surface of the pedestal so that the adhesive surface of the adhesive tape can be easily peeled off. A receiving surface 15a is provided.
Further, an edge portion 15b for holding the envelope 4 between the lower end portion of the receiving table 15 and the groove portion 8a of the bender lever 8 is formed. Further, the receiving table 15 is provided with a movable guide 16 for guiding the inserted envelope 4 so that the leading end of the envelope 4 does not hit the edge 15b. The movable guide 16 is swingably supported on the receiving table 15 with its one end 16 a as a fulcrum, and is urged downward by a spring 17.

The guide 10 is provided with a sensor 18 (see FIG. 1). That is, the guide 10 is attached to the receiving portion 2 c formed integrally with the side plate 2, and the sensor 18 is arranged in the recess formed in the second guide 10 via the circuit board 19. The sensor 18 is connected to a control circuit (not shown), and can detect that the leading end of the inserted envelope 4 has reached here. And the position of the sensor 18 is
When the tip of the envelope 4 reaches the position of the sensor 18, the bent portion of the flap 4 a of the envelope 4 is set to be directly below the edge 15 b facing the bender lever 8.

As shown in FIG. 1, bosses 20 and 21 are formed on the side plates 1 and 2, respectively. Boss 20 of side plate 1,
A guide shaft 22 is fixed to 21, and a similar guide shaft 23 is also fixed to the boss of the side plate 2. A slide plate 24 is slidably supported by the two guide shafts 22 and 23. As shown in FIG. 2, a slide plate feed motor 25 is provided inside the side plate 2, and the rotation of the slide plate feed motor is performed via a wheel train R4 and a crank mechanism (see FIG. 4) described later. 24 can reciprocate.

Next, the tape pull-out mechanism will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, a carrier 26 is provided on the slide plate 24 so as to be able to reciprocate on the slide plate 24 in a direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 1) orthogonal to the feeding direction of the envelope 4. The carrier 26 can be driven by a carrier feed motor (not shown) provided on the back side of the slide plate 24. The drive shaft 27 of the carrier feed motor is
And project to the front side. A motor pinion 28 is fixed to the drive shaft 27, and a reduction gear 29 meshes with the motor pinion.

A carrier drive gear 30 meshes with the reduction gear 29. A belt wheel 31 is formed integrally with the carrier drive gear 30. A belt wheel 32 interlocked with the belt wheel 31 is provided at the center of the slide plate 24. A timing belt 33 having a tooth profile is wound around the belt wheel 31 and the belt wheel 32. Further, a tension lever 34 is provided so as to be close to the timing belt 33 and apply a tension thereto so as to be swingable about a shaft 35 as a fulcrum. At the tip of the tension lever 34,
A tension roller 36 is rotatably supported. The tension lever 34 is constantly biased upward in FIG. 1 by a spring 37 to keep the timing belt 33 in a state without slack.

On the other hand, the slide plate 24 is provided with a guide shaft 38 which supports the carrier 26 so as to reciprocate along the carrier. Both ends of this guide shaft 38
The slide plate 24 is supported by support portions 24a and 24b. As shown in FIG. 2, the carrier 26 has an engaging portion 2 formed to engage with the tooth shape of the timing belt 33.
It can be moved by a timing belt via 6a. The carrier 26 has an engaging portion 26b that engages with a part of the slide plate 24. The carrier moves in parallel by the engaging portion and the guide shaft 38.

As shown in FIG. 1, the carrier 26 is provided with a tape holding mechanism for holding a protruding end of the tape T when the tape T is pulled out. The tape holding mechanism includes a solenoid 39 mounted on the carrier 26, and a clamper 43 supported by the carrier and provided to be driven by the solenoid. The clamper 43 is swingably supported by a support shaft 44, and a spring 45
To the opening direction (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1).
Solenoid shaft 4 protruding from one end of solenoid 39
A connecting portion 41 is swingably connected to 0 via a support shaft 42. Thereby, the reciprocating motion of the connecting portion 41 can be transmitted to the upper end of the clamper 43 via the pin 41. The clamper 43 is provided with a clamp claw 46 having a claw portion including a plurality of protrusions. In contrast, carrier 26
Is provided with a clamp claw receiver 26c formed so as to face the claw portion of the clamp claw 46.

A tape cassette 47 is provided on the upper surface of the left side of the slide plate 24 so as to be detachable by a locking claw 47a. The tape cassette 47 is integrally provided with a center shaft 47b, and a tape holder 48 is rotatably and detachably provided on the center shaft. A commercially available tape roll 49 formed by winding an adhesive tape is mounted on the tape holder 48. When the tape roll 49 is mounted, the rib 48a of the tape holder 48 is pressed into the roll core 50. In the vicinity of the tape cassette 47, a guide pin 51 for guiding the tape T when the tape T is pulled out is provided. Furthermore, this guide pin 51
A pair of guide plates 52 and 53 is provided adjacent to the tape T. The tape T pulled out can be guided by being clamped by these guide plates and clamped by the clamper 43.
The guide plate 52 is urged counterclockwise by a spring (not shown), and the guide plate 53 is also urged clockwise by a spring (not shown). The leading end of the tape T can protrude toward the clamper 43 of the guide plates 52 and 53 by a predetermined length.

Next, the tape cutting mechanism will be described.
The slide plate 24 is provided with a cutter motor 54,
A worm 55 is attached to the motor shaft. A worm wheel 56 meshes with the worm 55, and a drive gear 57 further meshes with the worm wheel. An eccentric pin 57a is provided on the arm of the drive gear 57, and the eccentric pin is fitted in a sliding groove of a U-shaped arm 58a integrated with the cutter holder 58. The drive gear 57 and the cutter holder 58 constitute an inverted cam. That is, the rotation of the drive gear 57 causes the eccentric pin 57a to rotate.
Is rotated, the cutter holder 58 can move forward and backward in a direction perpendicular to the protruding end of the tape T. A cutter 59 having a sharp cutting edge is attached to the tip of the cutter holder 58.

As shown in FIG. 2, the slide plate 24 includes
A holding plate 60 for pressing the adhesive surface of the tape T onto the flap 4a of the envelope 4 at a position facing the cradle 15 and attaching the tape T to the flap 4a.
Is provided. The holding plate 60 is made of an elastic material such as rubber, and is attached to a holding plate holder 61 fixed to the back surface of the slide plate 24. Next, the envelope feeding mechanism will be described. The envelope feeding mechanism includes the above-described insertion / ejection rollers 6, 7 and pressing rollers 11, 12, an envelope feeding motor 14, and wheel trains R1, R2 for transmitting the driving force of the motor to the respective rollers. These wheel trains R1 and R2 are provided outside the side plate 1 shown in FIG. 3 and outside the side plate 2 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, a wheel train R1 provided outside the side plate 2 has an output shaft 14a of an envelope feed motor 14 provided inside the side plate 2 (see FIG. 2). And a motor pinion 62 fixed to the output shaft serves as a drive source for each of the wheel trains R1 and R2.
A reduction gear 63 meshes with the motor pinion 62,
A large gear 64 fixed to the drive shaft 11a of one pressing roller 11 meshes with the small gear 63a integrated with the reduction gear. Therefore, one pressing roller 11 can be forcibly driven by the rotation of the large gear 64. The other end of the drive shaft 11a of one pressing roller 11 is
And project outside the side plate 1 (see FIG. 3).

As shown in FIG. 3, a drive shaft 11a protruding outside the side plate 1 has a drive gear 6 serving as a starting point of a wheel train R2.
5 is fixed. In the wheel train R2, rollers other than the pressing roller 11, that is, the insertion / ejection roller 6 are provided with gears so as to transmit rotation to the other pressing roller 12, and most of these gears are Shafts projecting from the side plates 1 and 2 are pivotally supported via snap keys. The rotation of the drive gear 65 is controlled by the intermediate gears 66 and 6 constituting the wheel train R2.
It can be transmitted to the drive gear 69 of the insertion / ejection roller 6 via the gates 7 and 68. On the other hand, the rotation of the intermediate gear 66 branches upward and is connected via an intermediate wheel 70 to a driving gear 71 that drives the other pressing roller 12 so that the rotation can be transmitted. Since the number of teeth of the three drive gears 65, 69, 71 is the same, the rotational speed of each roller is the same, and the drive gears 65 and 69 rotate in the same direction by the combination of the intermediate gears. 65 and 71 are rotatable in opposite directions.

The upper roller 12 of the pair of pressing rollers 11 and 12 is configured to be pressed downward by a pressing lever 72. Pressing lever 72
Has one end swingably supported on a support shaft 73 of the intermediate wheel 70,
At an intermediate position, it is mounted substantially horizontally while being supported by the drive shaft 12a of the upper pressing roller 12. A spring 74a is hung on the tip of the pressing lever 72. The pressing lever 72 is similarly attached to the outside of the side plate 2 (see FIG. 4).

The upper roller 7 of the insertion / ejection rollers 6 and 7 is a driven roller that rotates by frictional force generated by the rotation of the driving roller 6. This driven roller 7 is also provided with a pressing lever 75 so that the lower drive roller 6
To be pressed. One end of the pressing lever 75 is swingably supported by a support shaft 76 protruding outside the side plate 1, and a support shaft 7a of the upper insertion / ejection roller 7 at an intermediate position.
Supported by At the other end of the pressing lever 75,
A spring 77a is hung on the claw 77. This pressing lever 75
Like the pressing roller, it is also provided outside the side plate 2 (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

Next, the flap bending mechanism will be described.
As described above, the flap bending mechanism enables the rotation of the flap bending motor 9 to swing the bender lever 8 via a third wheel train R3 and a link described later. As shown in FIG. 4, an output shaft 9a of the flap bending motor 9 protrudes outside near the lower right portion of the side plate 2, and a motor pinion 78 serving as a drive source of the third wheel train R3 is provided on the output shaft.
Is stuck. A link gear 81 is connected to the motor pinion 78 via a reduction gear 79, 80 constituting a third wheel train R3 so that rotation can be transmitted. Link gear 8
Numeral 1 is pivotally supported on a support shaft a protruding from the side plate 2, and a cylindrical eccentric pin 81a protrudes from the arm portion. On the front surface of the link gear 81, a sliding groove portion 82a of an oscillating piece 82 provided so as to be integrally rotatable with the bender lever 8 is located. In the sliding groove portion, the above-described eccentric pin 81a can slide. Is engaged. The bender lever 8 and the swinging piece 82 are fixed so as to be integrally rotatable via a connecting shaft 8a provided to penetrate the side plate 2. When the link gear 81 rotates, the sliding piece 82 swings about the through hole provided in the side plate via the connection shaft 8a, and the bender lever 8 also swings via the connection shaft. It is possible.

Here, a tape adhesive mechanism for attaching the tape T to the flap 4a of the envelope 4 will be described. The tape adhesion mechanism controls the rotation of the slide plate feed motor 25 by a fourth
The tape holding plate 60 is brought into contact with the receiving surface 15a of the receiving base 15 by reciprocating the slide plate 24 via the wheel train R4 and the link mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 4, an output shaft 25a of the slide plate feed motor 25 projects near the lower left corner of the side plate 2, and this output shaft serves as a drive source for the fourth wheel train R4. The motor pinion 83 is fixed. The first reduction gear 84 of the fourth wheel train R4 meshes with the motor pinion 83. The wheel train R4 will be further reduced gears 85, 8
The link gear 87 is rotatably connected via the link 6.

A cylindrical eccentric pin 87a protrudes from the arm of the link gear 87. A thin window 88a of a swing link 88 provided outside the gear is swingably engaged with the eccentric pin 87a. The swing link 88 is substantially in the form of an acute isosceles triangle, and the apex of the acute angle is swingably supported by a support shaft 89 below the support shaft 87b of the link gear 87. The above-mentioned narrow window 88a is provided in a long groove shape from the vicinity of the upper end of one side to a position slightly lower than the lower part of the link gear 87. At the upper end of the other side of the swing link 88, there is provided an arc-shaped sliding groove 88b formed so as to protrude partially from the upper end. This sliding groove 8
A sliding pin 90 attached to a connecting portion 24c vertically extending below the slide plate 24 is slidably engaged with 8b. When the link gear 87 rotates, the eccentric pin 87
a can swing the swing link 88 about the support shaft 89 while sliding along the small window 87a. Swing link 88
When the slide plate 24 moves in the left-right direction in FIG. 4 in accordance with the swing of the slide plate, the slide plate 24 is guided along the guide shaft 23 via guide pieces 24d, 24d suspended below the slide plate. is there.

Next, the operation of the automatic envelope sealing apparatus in this embodiment will be described. First, when the envelope 4 is inserted into the case from the envelope guide 3, it is detected that the tip of the flap 4a has reached the detection lever 5a of the first guide 5. As a result, the envelope feed motor 14 is driven to drive the wheel trains R1, R2.
, The roller 6 rotates clockwise, and the driven roller 7 rotates counterclockwise due to frictional force in conjunction with the rotation, so that the leading end of the envelope 4 is sandwiched between a pair of rollers and fed downstream. It is. The tip of the envelope 4 is the sensor 18 of the second guide 10
Is reached, the envelope feed motor 14 is stopped by the output signal from the sensor 18, and the envelope 4 also stops moving. As described above, the stop position is such that the portion corresponding to the fold of the envelope 4 is the edge portion 1 of the cradle 15.
This corresponds to the position just below 5b.

Next, the flap bending motor 9 is driven, and the end of the bender lever 8 swings upward via the third wheel train R3 and the swing lever 82. With the fold of the envelope 4 sandwiched between the groove 8a and the edge 15b of the bender lever, the flap 4a is bent at about 90 degrees to a position where it comes into contact with the receiving surface 15a of the pedestal 15, and in this state, the envelope 4
Is held.

Next, the solenoid 39 of the tape attaching mechanism is used.
Is driven, whereby the clamper 43 swings to clamp the projecting end of the tape T projecting from the guide plates 52 and 53 between the clamp claw 46 and the clamp claw receiver 26c. Subsequently the carrier feed motor is operated, Before moving the carrier 26 to the right. At this time, since the tape T is strongly held by the tape holding mechanism as described above, even if the force for peeling off the tape roll 49 is large, there is no possibility that the tape T will be separated therefrom. In this way, the tape T is placed in
5 is pulled out into the space between the presser plate 5 and the holding plate 60, and the position is such that the lower half of the drawn-out tape faces the upper end of the flap 4 a of the envelope 4 bent by the bender lever 8. When the tape T is pulled out to a certain length, the carrier feed motor stops, and the tape stops at a position where the upper half thereof projects further upward from the upper end of the flap 4 a of the envelope 4.

Next, the slide plate feed motor 25 is driven, and the slide plate 24 advances to the upstream side in the direction of inserting the envelope via the wheel train R4 and the swing link 88 , whereby the upper end of the tape T is pressed. The receiving surface 15 of the pedestal 15 by the plate 60
a. At the same time, the tape T is attached to the upper end of the flap 4a in which the lower half of the tape T is bent. At this time, the cutter motor 54 is operated, and the cutter 59 of the tape cutting mechanism is advanced toward the tape surface to cut the tape, and at the same time, the clamp 46 holding the leading end of the tape T by the solenoid 39 is opened to release the tape. Is released from the tape holding mechanism.

Next, the slide plate feed motor 25 is driven to rotate in the reverse direction, the slide plate 24 retreats, the pressing plate 60 separates from the tape T, and returns to the state shown in FIG. At the same time, the flap bending motor 9 rotates in the reverse direction, and the bender lever 8 swings downward and separates from the envelope 4. Next, the carrier feed motor is reversed to return the carrier 26 to the original position in FIG. 1, and at the same time, the envelope feed motor 14 is driven again, and the insertion / ejection rollers 6, 7 are rotated to move the envelope 4 further upstream. Move.

When the fold of the envelope 4 reaches the pressing rollers 11 and 12 and further passes between the pressing rollers, the envelope 4
Is closed, and the upper half of the tape T is adhered to the envelope 4 and sealed. At this time, the pressing rollers 11 and 12
Is interlocked with the insertion / ejection roller 6 via the trains R1 and R2, so that when the leading end of the envelope reaches the pressing roller, the envelope is sent to the pressing roller as it is. When the passage of the envelope 4 is detected by the detection lever 13a of the guide 13,
The envelope feed motor 14 is driven in reverse rotation to feed the envelope 4 in reverse. As a result, the flap 4a is again pressed by the pressing roller 11,
Pass between twelve. For this reason, sticking of the tape T becomes reliable. Further, the envelope 4 is fed backward to the upstream side, discharged to the guide plate 3, and waits for the apparatus to stop and the next envelope to be inserted.

[0033]

According to the present invention, since a pair of pressing rollers are connected so as to be forcibly driven by a motor via a wheel train, when the leading end of the inserted envelope reaches the pressing roller, 1 Even when one of the paired rollers collides with one of the rollers, the envelope is reliably fed between the rollers, and the flap can be attached to the envelope body via the tape. Therefore, even if the thickness of the envelope is large, poor sealing is not caused, and the diameter of the roller can be reduced, so that the apparatus can be downsized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an initial state in a configuration of an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state where one side plate of one embodiment is removed.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing the outside of one side plate of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing the outside of the other side plate of the embodiment .

[Explanation of symbols]

 4 Envelope 4a Flap T Adhesive tape 6,7 Insertion / ejection roller 11,12 Press roller 14 Motor R1, R2 Wheel train

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B43M 5/00 B43M 5/04

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An envelope feeding mechanism for inserting and ejecting an envelope, a flap bending mechanism for bending a flap of the envelope, a tape pulling mechanism for pulling out an adhesive tape for sealing the envelope,
In an automatic envelope sealing device comprising a tape cutting mechanism for cutting the drawn-out tape to a predetermined length, and a tape attaching mechanism for attaching the tape to the flap, the envelope feeding mechanism inserts and ejects the envelope. A pair of insertion / ejection rollers, and a pair of pressing rollers that fold the flap of the envelope inserted by the insertion / ejection roller through the tape so as to be adhered to the envelope main body and press the folding position. An automatic envelope sealing device, wherein the pair of pressing rollers are connected to a motor via a train so as to be forcibly driven by the motor.