JP3111308B2 - Automatic sealed letter making 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 creation apparatus for automatically creating one envelope from one envelope sheet and one or more document sheets.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, an envelope is prepared by enclosing a folded document (letter) in a ready-made envelope. On the other hand, when manually creating a large number of identical envelopes such as direct mail, it takes a great deal of labor and time, and an envelope enclosing device for automatically enclosing documents in envelopes is also disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-30999.
No. 5 has been proposed.

However, this kind of conventional envelope enclosing apparatus, including such an envelope enclosing apparatus, replaces the manual enclosing procedure with an automation step as it is, specifically, an envelope supply step for supplying a ready-made envelope, Since it consisted of a document folding process of folding a document to be placed in an envelope, a document loading process of opening the envelope and loading the document, and a sealing process,
There were the following difficulties.

[0004] First, since a ready-made envelope is prepared and used as it is, economical efficiency is poor, and versatility is lacking, for example, it is basically impossible to create a sealed letter without a ready-made envelope.

Second, complicated processes such as an envelope supply process, a document folding process, a document loading process, and a sealing process are required, so that mechanization and automation become difficult, and it is not possible to reduce the size and cost of the apparatus. .

The present invention has solved the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, and has drastically improved the economical efficiency and versatility at the time of creating a sealed letter, as well as reducing the size and cost of the apparatus by simplifying the structure. It is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic sealed letter making device capable of achieving the following.

[0007]

The automatic letter-sealing apparatus 1 according to the present invention places one piece of envelope paper Pe having an adhesive J adhered in a preset range at a first set position Xe.
And a second positioning mechanism 5d for positioning one or more document sheets Pd at a second set position Xd on the envelope sheet Pe positioned at the first set position Xe. And the positioned envelope paper P
e and the first folded part K which divides the document paper Pd into three in the longitudinal direction.
1 and a folding mechanism 4r forming a second folding section K2, and an envelope sheet P by sequentially folding the first folding section K1 and the second folding section K2.
e, a paper folding unit 4 constituted by a folding mechanism 4s
The first set position Xe, the second set position Xd, and the positions of the first folded portion K1 and the second folded portion K2 are determined by folding the envelope paper Pe and the document paper when the first folded portion K1 is folded. Pd ...
Are not overlapped with the second folded portion K2, and further, when the second folded portion K2 is folded, the end Pet of the folded envelope paper Pe has folded the first folded portion K1. Paper P
e, the end Pdt of the document paper Pd that is folded back
... is the end Pes of the envelope paper Pe that is folded back at the first folded portion K1.
Is set so as not to overlap.

In this case, according to a preferred embodiment, the envelope paper Pe is divided into a front adhesive portion Jf having an adhesive J adhered along the vicinity of the front edge of the envelope paper Pe, and a front adhesive portion Jf. It has a left adhesive portion Jp and a right adhesive portion Jq to which an adhesive J is applied over a predetermined length from both ends of Jf along the vicinity of the left and right edges. In addition, the envelope paper uses the A4 size, and the document paper Pd uses the B5 size. On the other hand, the bending mechanism 4r is provided with a movable base 6 supported to be elastically displaceable downward, a pair of fixed bases 7f and 7r disposed before and after the movable base 6, and disposed above the movable base 6, and Lifting mechanism 8
f, a pair of press boards 9f before and after ascending and descending by 8r,
It has press mechanisms 10f and 10r having 9r. In this case, the press board 9f disposed on the front side in the transport direction is provided with idle rollers 11f... Whose roller surfaces protrude from the lower surface of the press board 9f and are supported so as to be elastically displaceable upward. Press board 9 arranged
r includes drive rollers 11r... whose roller surfaces protrude from the lower surface of the press board 9r and are supported to be elastically displaceable upward. Further, the folding mechanism 4 s is pivotally displaced with one end serving as a fulcrum, and the leading end of the folding mechanism 4 s can abut on the edge of the envelope paper Pe, 12 p, 12 q, 13 p, 1.
3q, and the press mechanisms 10f and 10r also serve as a part of the folding mechanism 4s.

Thus, the adhesive J can be set within a predetermined range.
Is attached, a front adhesive portion Jf along the vicinity of the front edge portion, a left adhesive portion Jp and a right portion of a predetermined length from both ends of the front adhesive portion Jf along the vicinity of the left and right edges. When one envelope sheet Pe having the adhesive portion Jq is sent to the sheet folding section 4, the envelope sheet Pe is positioned at the first set position Xe by the first positioning mechanism 5e. Next, when one or more document sheets Pd are sent to the sheet folding section 4, the document sheets Pd are positioned at the second set position Xd by the second positioning mechanism 5d. By the folding mechanism 4r, a first folded portion K1 and a second folded portion K2 which are divided into three in the longitudinal direction are formed on the envelope paper Pe and the document paper Pd. Specifically, a pair of front and rear press boards 9f and 9r in the press mechanisms 10f and 10r are
f, 8r, and the movable table 6 is elastically displaced downward, so that the movable table 6 is bent at a substantially right angle at the boundary between the front and rear fixed tables 7f, 7r, and the first folded section K1 and the second folded section K2. Is formed.

The folding mechanism 4s allows the first folding part K
1 and the second folded portion K2 are sequentially folded. Specifically, one press board 9r is raised, and the bending arm mechanism 12
If p and 12q are rotated and displaced, the leading ends thereof abut on the left and right edges on one side in the transport direction of the envelope paper Pe, whereby the first folded portion K1 of the envelope paper Pe is further changed from a substantially right angle state. Folded at an acute angle. Then, if one of the press boards 9r is lowered in this state, the envelope paper Pe is pressed and adhered via the adhesive J. Next, the other press board 9f is raised, and the bending arm mechanism 13
If p and 13q are rotated and displaced, the leading ends thereof abut on the left and right edges on the other side in the transport direction of the envelope paper Pe, whereby the second folded portion K2 of the envelope paper Pe is further changed from a substantially right angle state. Folded at an acute angle. Then, when the other press board 9f is lowered in this state, the envelope paper Pe is pressed and bonded via an adhesive J, and finally, the document paper Pd folded inside the sealed envelope is obtained. A sealed letter is created in which is enclosed. In this way, the mechanization and automation of the creation of a sealed letter are easily realized, and the need for a ready-made envelope is eliminated, so that the economy and versatility at the time of creating the sealed letter are improved. In particular, the use of A4 size envelope paper Pe and B5 size document paper Pd...

[0011]

Next, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, the automatic letter-sealing device 1 according to the present embodiment.
Figure 1 shows the principle (procedure) of creating a sealed letter by using
This will be described with reference to FIGS.

When creating a sealed letter, one sheet of A4 size (210 mm × 297 mm: large size) envelope paper Pe and one or more sheets of B5 size (182 mm × 182 mm)
257 mm (small size) are prepared (see FIG. 11). In this case, the envelope paper Pe may be blank paper, or may be a paper in which a name or the like is displayed at a predetermined position on the front surface.

[0014] Then, as shown in FIG.
The document paper Pd is overlaid on the back surface Pei of e, and a first fold K1 and a second fold K2, which are divided in the longitudinal direction (the horizontal direction in FIG. 11), are provided. At this time, the position of the document paper Pd with respect to the envelope paper Pe and the first folded portion K1 and the second folded portion K2
Is selected as follows.

That is, when the first folded portion K1 is folded, the ends (one end) of the folded envelope paper Pe and the document paper Pd.
Pes, Pds... Do not overlap the second folded portion K2. Further, when the second folded portion K2 is folded, the end (the other end) Pet of the folded envelope paper Pe overlaps with the envelope paper Pe which has folded the first folded portion K1 and the folded document paper P.
The end (the other end) Pdt of d ... does not overlap the end (one end) Pes of the envelope paper Pe obtained by folding the first folded portion K1.

Therefore, specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, one side of the document paper Pd in the longitudinal direction is protruded from the one end Pes of the envelope paper Pe by about L1 = 26 mm, and from one end Pes of the envelope paper Pe. From the distance L2 to the first folded portion K1 and the other end Pet of the envelope paper Pe from the second folded portion K
The distance L3 to 2 is selected such that L2 = L3 = about 90 mm. In the width direction, the centers of the envelope paper Pe and the document paper Pd are aligned.

On the other hand, from the position of the first folded portion K1 to the second folded portion K
The adhesive J is applied to the back surface Pei of the envelope paper Pe on the second side along the vicinity of the edge. In this case, the adhesive J
Is set to about 5 mm. The portion where the adhesive J is attached has a U-shape as shown in FIG. That is, a linear front adhesive portion Jf provided along the width direction near the front edge portion (the other end Pet) of the envelope paper Pe,
The front adhesive portion Jf includes a line-shaped left adhesive portion Jp and a right adhesive portion Jq to which the adhesive J is applied from both ends to the position of the first folded portion K1 along the vicinity of the left and right edges.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 13 (FIG. 12),
The first folded portion K1 is folded back to adhere the envelope paper Pe. Thereby, the document sheets Pd are also folded at the same time. Next, as shown in FIG. 14 (FIG. 12), the second folded portion K2 is folded back, and the envelope paper Pe is bonded. Thereby, the document sheets Pd are also folded at the same time. FIG. 14 shows a finally created envelope F. The envelope F is composed of a sealed envelope Fx created from envelope paper Pe and document paper Pd folded and enclosed in the envelope Fx.

Next, the structure of the automatic letter-making apparatus 1 for automatically creating such a letter F will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG.

The automatic letter-sealing apparatus 1 is roughly divided into a paper feed unit 2 disposed at the front stage, an adhesive application unit 3 disposed at the middle stage, and a sheet folding unit 4 disposed at the rear stage.

First, the configuration of the paper feed unit 2 will be described with reference to FIG. The paper supply unit 2 has a function of selectively supplying A4 size (large size) envelope paper Pe and B5 size (small size) document paper Pd, and as shown in FIG. A cassette Cu and a B5 paper cassette Cd set in a lower stage are provided. The A4 paper cassette Cu and the B5 paper cassette Cd can store a large number of envelope paper Pe and document paper Pd, respectively. An envelope paper feed mechanism 20 is provided in front of the set A4 paper cassette Cu, and a document paper feed mechanism 21 is provided in front of the set B5 paper cassette Cd.

The envelope paper sending mechanism 20 includes a pickup roller 22u for taking out the envelope paper Pe one by one from the A4 paper cassette Cu, and a front feed roller mechanism 24 for feeding the taken envelope paper Pe to the front guideline 23u.
u, a path sensor 25u provided at the front end of the front guideline 23u in the conveyance direction, and a rear feed roller mechanism 27u disposed forward of the path sensor 25u in the conveyance direction and feeding the sent envelope paper Pe to the rear guideline 26u.

On the other hand, the document paper sending mechanism 21 includes a pickup roller 22d for taking out the document papers Pd one by one from the B5 paper cassette Cd, a front feed roller mechanism 24d for feeding the taken document papers Pd to the front guideline 23d, and a front guideline 23d. A path sensor 25d provided at the front end in the conveyance direction, and a rear-stage feed roller mechanism 27 arranged forward of the path sensor 25d in the conveyance direction and feeding the sent document paper Pd to the rear-stage guideline 26d.
d. The front end of the rear guideline 26d in the conveyance direction and the front end of the rear guideline 26u in the conveyance direction join the conveyance line R and are connected to the adhesive application section 3 side.

Next, the adhesive attachment section 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. The adhesive attaching section 3 has a function of attaching the adhesive J to a preset position on the envelope sheet Pe sent from the sheet feeding section 2.

4 and 5, the transfer line R includes a path sensor 31 and a feed roller mechanism 32 disposed forward of the path sensor 31 in the transfer direction. In addition, a front adhesive application mechanism 33 disposed at right angles to the conveyance direction is provided forward of the feed roller mechanism 32 in the conveyance direction.
A left adhesive applying mechanism 34 disposed in parallel with the transport direction on both left and right sides in front of the front adhesive applying mechanism 33 in the transport direction.
And a right adhesive bonding mechanism 35. By arranging the feed roller mechanism 32 close to the front adhesive applying mechanism 33, the envelope paper Pe is fixed at a fixed position by the feed roller mechanism 32. Stable and smooth. In this case, the front adhesive applying mechanism 33 is connected to the front adhesive Jf described above.
The left adhesive applying mechanism 34 has a function of providing the above-described left adhesive Jp, and the right adhesive applying mechanism 35 has a function of providing the above-described right adhesive Jq on the envelope paper Pe.

The left adhesive applying mechanism 34 has a pedestal 36 constituting the transport line R, and an adhesive applying mechanism main body 37 is provided above the pedestal 36. Adhesive attachment mechanism body 3
7 includes a guide rod 38 arranged in a horizontal direction and a horizontal moving mechanism 39 arranged in parallel below the guide rod 38. The horizontal moving mechanism 39 is constructed by extending an endless belt 40 between a driving pulley and a driven pulley. I do. A slider 42 is slidably mounted on the guide rod 38,
The lower end of the slider 42 is fixed to the endless belt 40.
Furthermore, one side of the upper end of the adhesive applicator 44 is attached to the slider 42 via the rotating portion 43. The adhesive applicator 44 has an adhesive supply section 45 at the lower end, and a double-sided tape (adhesive J) is supplied from the adhesive supply section 45. A regulating roller 46 is rotatably mounted on a side surface of the adhesive applicator 44, and a guide rail 47 for guiding the regulating roller 46 is provided at a fixed position facing the regulating roller 46.
Is arranged. At one end of the guide rail 47, there is provided a switch 48 which is rotatably mounted. The switch 48 is cantilevered with respect to the guide rail 47 and is displaced downward by its own weight in a natural state. In this case, the position and length of the left adhesive portion Jp provided on the envelope paper Pe by the left adhesive applying mechanism 34 are set by the length and position of the guide rail 47. The adhesive supply section 45 may be of a type that applies a liquid adhesive.

On the other hand, the front adhesive applying mechanism 33 and the right adhesive applying mechanism 35 have the same basic configuration as the left adhesive applying mechanism 34. Accordingly, in FIG. 4, the same reference numerals are given to the same portions of the front adhesive applying mechanism 33 as those of the left adhesive applying mechanism 34.

On the other hand, a suction conveyance section 49 is disposed between the left adhesive applying mechanism 34 and the right adhesive applying mechanism 35. The suction conveyance section 49 is configured by extending endless conveyance belts 50 and 51 having a large number of small holes between a driving roller and a driven roller,
Blower 5 disposed inside endless transport belts 50 and 51
A function of transporting the envelope paper Pe and the document paper Pd by attracting them to the endless transport belts 50 and 51 by generating a negative pressure by the endless belts 2 and 53 is provided. In addition, the suction conveyance unit 4
9, a path sensor 54 is disposed at the intermediate portion in the transport direction.

Next, the sheet folding section 4 constituting a main part of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The sheet folding section 4 is a sheet of envelope paper Pe sent from the adhesive attaching section 3.
Are positioned at the first set position Xe, and one or two or more document sheets Pd... Sent from the paper feed unit 2 are positioned at the second set position Xd on the envelope sheet Pe, and It has a function of bonding the envelope paper Pe by successively folding the first folded portion K1 and the second folded portion K2 which are divided into three.

The sheet folding section 4 includes a pair of fixed bases 7 r and 7 f which are separated from each other before and after forming the transport line R, and
The movable table 6 is provided between the r and 7f, and the movable table 6 is supported by elastic support mechanisms 64 and 65 including a spring so as to be elastically displaceable downward. In this case, the boundary between the fixed table 7r and the movable table 6 disposed on the rear side in the transport direction corresponds to the position of the above-described first folded portion K1, and the fixed table 7f and the movable table 6 disposed on the front side in the transport direction. The boundary portion corresponds to the position of the above-described second folded portion K2.

The movable table 6 has transport conveyors 66, 6
7 and a guide plate 68 constituting the transfer line R is provided behind the fixed table 7r in the transfer direction. The guide plate 68 has a first step 68f and a second step 68s. Thereby, when positioning the envelope paper Pe, the rear end of the envelope paper Pe is positioned in front of the first step portion 68f, so that the sent document paper Pd... Can be reliably placed on the upper surface of the envelope paper Pe. By positioning the rear end of the document paper Pd in front of the second step portion 68s when positioning the document paper Pd.
The next document sheet Pd is placed on top of the previously sent document sheet Pd.
Can be reliably mounted. On the other hand, a feed roller mechanism 69 and a press roller mechanism 70 are disposed in front of the fixed table 7f in the transport direction. The feed roller mechanism 69 has a gate mechanism 71, which shuts off the transport line R when the feed roller mechanism 69 stops, and positions the envelope paper Pe at the first set position Xe by regulating the leading end of the envelope paper Pe. First positioning mechanism 5 functioning as a stopper
e, and the transport line R is opened when the feed roller mechanism 69 operates.

On the other hand, a path sensor 72 is provided at an intermediate portion of the movable table 6 in the transport direction, and a path sensor 73 is provided at the end of the fixed table 7f. On the other hand, a pair of front and rear press mechanisms 10r and 10f are disposed above the movable base 6. The press mechanism 10r includes a vertical guide rod 74 and an elevating mechanism 8r disposed parallel to the guide rod 74. The elevating mechanism 8r is configured by extending an endless belt 77 around a driving pulley 75 and a driven pulley 76. A slider 78 is slidably mounted on the guide rod 74, and a press board 9r is attached to a lower end of the slider 78.
The press board 9r is provided with drive rollers 11r... Having a roller surface protruding from the lower surface of the press board 9r and rotated by a drive unit. The drive rollers 11r.

The press mechanism 10f further includes a vertical guide rod 79 and an elevating mechanism 8f disposed in parallel with the guide rod 79. The elevating mechanism 8f includes a driving pulley 8
0 and a driven pulley 81 with an endless belt. A slider 83 is slidably mounted on the guide rod 79, and a press board 9f is attached to a lower end of the slider 83. The press board 9f is provided with rotatable idle rollers 11f... Whose roller surfaces protrude from the lower surface of the press board 9f.
Are supported upward so as to be elastically displaceable. On the other hand, a gate mechanism 88 is provided on the slider 85. The gate mechanism 88 is displaced downward to cut off the transport line R, and the document paper Pd ...
A second positioning mechanism 5d which functions as a stopper for positioning at the second set position Xd by regulating the front end of the transfer line R is displaced upward to open the transport line R.

The press mechanisms 10f and 10r, the movable table 6 and the pair of fixed tables 7f and 7r lower the pair of press boards 9f and 9r by lifting mechanisms 8f and 8r.
The movable mechanism 6 is elastically displaced downward to form a folding mechanism 4r that forms a first folded portion K1 and a second folded portion K2 substantially perpendicular to the positioned envelope paper Pe and document paper Pd. .

On the other hand, bending arm mechanisms 12p and 13p that are pivotally displaced about one end are provided on the left side below the fixed tables 7r and 7f, and are turned on one end about the fulcrum on the right side. Displaced bending arm mechanisms 12q, 12q are provided. Also, the bending arm mechanisms 12p, 13p, 1
Rotating rollers 12pr, 13pr, 12qr, 1 abutting on the left and right edges of the envelope paper Pe are provided at the leading ends of 2q, 13q.
3qr.

Such bending arm mechanisms 12p, 13
p, 12q, 13q and the press mechanisms 10f, 10
r is obtained by turning the first folded portion K1 of the envelope paper Pe from a substantially right angle state to an acute angle and then pressing from above, and further turning the second folded portion K2 of the envelope paper Pe from a substantially right angle state to an acute angle. , A folding mechanism 4s that is pressed from above to adhere the envelope paper Pe.

Next, the automatic sealed letter creating apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment
Will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, one envelope sheet Pe is sent from the A4 sheet cassette Cu in the sheet feeding section 2 to the adhesive attaching section 3. At this time, one envelope sheet Pe is taken out by the pickup roller 22u, and the envelope sheet Pe is fed to the front feed roller mechanism 24u and the front guide line 23.
u, the second-stage feed roller mechanism 27u, and the second-stage guide line 26u are sent to the adhesive application section 3. The path sensor 25u detects the leading end of the sent envelope paper Pe, and after a lapse of a set time, the subsequent feed roller mechanism 27u.
To rotate. As a result, the skew is corrected so that the leading end of the envelope paper Pe hits the stopped post-stage feed roller mechanism 27u and the leading end of the envelope paper Pe is parallel to the rollers of the post-stage feed roller mechanism 27u.

Then, if the envelope sheet Pe is sent to the adhesive attaching section 3 and the path sensor 31 detects the leading end of the envelope sheet Pe, the feed roller mechanism 27
Stop u and 32. As a result, the leading end of the envelope paper Pe is positioned on the pedestal 36 in the front adhesive applying mechanism 33 and stops. Thereafter, the front adhesive portion Jf is provided on the envelope paper Pe by operating the front adhesive applying mechanism 33 (see FIG. 5). Next, the feed roller mechanism 32 is operated to transfer the envelope paper Pe forward. Then, when the path sensor 54 detects the leading edge of the envelope sheet Pe, the feed roller mechanism 32 is stopped after the set time has elapsed. As a result, the leading end of the envelope paper Pe is positioned on the pedestals 36 in the left adhesive applying mechanism 34 and the right adhesive applying mechanism 35 and stopped. Thereafter, the left adhesive bonding mechanism 34 and the right adhesive bonding mechanism 35 are synchronously operated to provide the left adhesive bonding Jp and the right adhesive bonding Jq on the envelope paper Pe, respectively (see FIG. 5).

In this case, the attaching operation by the left adhesive applying mechanism 34 is as follows. The other adhesive applying mechanisms 33 and 35 are basically the same as the left adhesive applying mechanism 34.

First, the adhesive applicator 44 at the home position indicated by the solid line in FIG.
If it is moved to the right in the middle, the regulating roller 46
8, the adhesive supply unit 45 moves to the other end of the guide rail 47 while being separated from the envelope paper Pe. Adhesive applicator 4 in this state
4 is indicated by reference numeral 44m. When the regulating roller 46 comes off the other end of the guide rail 47, the regulating roller 46 is moved in the opposite direction, so that the regulating roller 46 is guided by the lower surface of the guide rail 47. The adhesive applicator 44 in this state is indicated by reference numeral 44n. At this time, the adhesive supply unit 45 supplies the envelope paper P
e, the tip of the double-sided tape supplied from the adhesive supply unit 45 is stuck to the envelope paper Pe,
In addition, since the double-sided tape moves while being pressed, the double-sided tape is attached to the envelope paper Pe according to the movement of the adhesive supply unit 45. Then, the adhesive supply section 45 is connected to the guide rail 47.
When it returns to one end and comes off the guide rail 47, the pressure on the adhesive supply section 45 is released, so the double-sided tape is cut and the bonding is completed, and the adhesive applicator 44 is returned to the home position. At this time, the switch 48 is pushed upward by the regulating roller 46. As a result, the left adhesive portion Jp is provided on the upper surface (back surface Pei) of the envelope paper Pe.

Next, the suction transport unit 49 is operated to feed the envelope paper Pe into the paper folding unit 4. At this time, as shown in FIG. 6, the gate mechanism 71 shuts off the transport line R, and the gate mechanism 88 is located above and the transport line R
To release. Each of the press boards 9r and 9f has a driving roller 11r... And an idle roller 11f.
, And is stopped at the first release position Ym located at a relatively low position. When the path sensor 72 detects the leading end of the envelope sheet Pe by feeding the envelope sheet Pe into the sheet folding section 4, the press board 9r is lowered to the set position Ys indicated by a virtual line in FIG. 11r lightly contact the envelope paper Pe. As a result, the envelope paper Pe is transferred to the conveyor 66 and the drive roller 1.
1r... Are transported while being sandwiched between
Are prevented from contacting the front adhesive portion Jf. Then, when the path sensor 73 detects the leading end of the envelope sheet Pe, after the lapse of the set time, the press board 9r is raised to the first release position Ym, and the conveyor 66 is moved.
Stop the rotation of ... The set time in this case is the envelope paper P
The time until the tip of e contacts the gate mechanism 71 is set. The press board 9r is moved to the first release position Ym.
If the rotation of the conveyors 66 is continued for a predetermined period of time, the front end of the envelope
The skew is corrected in contact with The rear end (one end Pes) of the envelope paper Pe is located at a position slightly past the first step portion 68f of the guide plate 68. Thereby, the envelope sheet Pe is positioned at the first set position Xe.

Next, as shown in FIG.
8 is displaced downward to shut off the transport line R. That is,
The tip of the gate mechanism 88 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the envelope paper Pe. On the other hand, one document sheet Pd is sent from the B5 sheet cassette Cd to the sheet folding section 4 via the adhesive attaching section 3. Specifically, one document sheet Pd is taken out by the pickup roller 22d, and the document sheet Pd
Is the first-stage feed roller mechanism 24d, the first-stage guideline 2
3d, the second-stage feed roller mechanism 27d, and the second-stage guide line 26d are sent to the adhesive adhering section 3. In addition,
The path sensor 25d detects the leading end of the sent document paper Pd, and after a lapse of a set time, the subsequent feed roller mechanism 27d.
Is rotated to correct the skew on the document paper Pd in the same manner as on the envelope paper Pe. Further, in the adhesive application section 3, the suction conveyance section 49 operates, and the document paper Pd is sent to the paper folding section 4. At this time, the path sensor 54
Detects the leading edge of the document sheet Pd, after the lapse of the set time, the press board 9r is set at the set position Ys indicated by a virtual line in FIG.
, And the drive rollers 11r... Are brought into contact with the document paper Pd. As a result, the document paper Pd is
It is transferred by rotation of r ... The transfer conveyor 66
... has stopped. After the detection by the path sensor 54, if the second set time has elapsed, the press board 9r
To stop the rotation of the drive rollers 11r.
The second set time sets the time until the leading edge of the document paper Pd contacts the gate mechanism 88. As a result, the skew of the document sheet Pd is corrected similarly to the above-described envelope sheet Pe, and the document sheets Pd are positioned at the second set position Xd on the envelope sheet Pe. In addition,
When there are a plurality of document sheets Pd, the same operation is repeated.

Then, the envelope paper P in the paper folding section 4
When the positioning of e and the document paper Pd is completed, the press boards 9r and 9f are lowered to the lowermost press position Yp as shown in FIG. Thereby, the driving roller 11
r ... and idle rollers 11f ... are press boards 9r and 9
f, and displaces the movable table 6 below the fixed tables 7r, 7f while the press boards 9r and 9f are in contact with the document paper Pd. Therefore, the envelope paper Pe and the document paper Pd.
At the position of the second folded portion K2.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9, only one press board 9r is raised to the upper limit second release position Yua. Then, the bending arm mechanisms 12p and 12q located on the rear side in the transport direction are rotated and displaced, and the rotating rollers 12pr and 12qr at the leading end portions are brought into contact with the left and right edges of the envelope paper Pe on the rear side in the transport direction. With the envelope paper P
e and the document paper Pd are folded back from a substantially right angle position to an acute angle, and in this state, the press board 9r is lowered again to the press position Yp. As a result, the envelope paper Pe is completely folded back at the first folding section K1, and bonding is performed.

Similarly, only the other press board 9f is raised to the upper limit second release position Yub. The bending arm mechanism 13 located on the front side in the transport direction
p and 13q are rotated and displaced, and a rotating roller 13p at the tip end is rotated.
r and 13qr are brought into contact with the left and right edges on the front side in the transport direction of the envelope paper Pe, so that the envelope paper Pe and the document paper Pd are folded back from a substantially right angle position to a further acute angle, and the press board 9f is folded in this state. Then, it is lowered again to the press position Yp. As a result, the envelope sheet Pe is completely folded at the second folding section K2, and bonding is performed.
On the other hand, in this state, if only the press board 9r is further raised to the upper limit second release position Yua and then lowered again to the press position Yp, the other end P of the envelope paper Pe is returned.
The et side is pressed, and in particular, the front bonding portion Jf is bonded. Therefore, the sealed letter F of FIG. 14 is created.

Then, as shown in FIG. 10, one press board 9r is at the first release position Ym, and the other press board 9f is at the set position Ys where the idle rollers 11f... Then, the transport conveyor 66,..., And the feed roller mechanism 69 and the press roller mechanism 70 are operated. As a result, the gate mechanism 71 opens the transport line R, and the sealed letter F is sent out forward, is completely pressed by the press roller mechanism 70, and is then discharged from the automatic letter-seal creating device 1.

Thus, the creation of an envelope from one piece of envelope paper Pe, the folding of the document paper Pd.
… And the envelopes are sealed together, the envelope supply process when using a pre-made envelope, the individual document folding process to fold the documents to be put in the envelope, the document input to open the envelope and put the documents Steps and sealing steps are not required. And
By such a simplified process, one sealed letter F is finally created, so that economy and versatility at the time of creating the sealed letter are improved. In particular, by selecting standard size A4 size envelope paper 2 and B5 size document paper 3..., General copy paper, loose-leaf, etc. can be used as they are, thereby further improving versatility. it can.

Although the embodiments have been described in detail, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments. For example, the sizes of the envelope paper Pe and the document paper Pd are not necessarily limited to the illustrated A4 size and B5 size. Other details such as composition, shape, method, quantity,
Materials and numerical values can be arbitrarily changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0050]

As described above, the automatic letter-sealing apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a first positioning mechanism for positioning one envelope sheet having an adhesive adhered to a preset range at a first set position; A second positioning mechanism for positioning one or more document sheets at a second setting position on the envelope sheet positioned at the first setting position; and A folding mechanism that forms a first folding part and a second folding part, and a paper folding part that is configured by a folding mechanism that bonds the envelope paper by sequentially folding the first folding part and the second folding part. The first set position, the second set position, and the positions of the first folded portion and the second folded portion are set such that when the first folded portion is folded, the end portions of the folded envelope paper and document paper are folded. Envelopes that do not overlap the second fold and that are folded back when the second fold is folded The end of the paper is set so that it overlaps the envelope paper with the first fold folded, and the end of the folded document paper does not overlap with the end of the envelope paper with the first fold folded. It has a remarkable effect like

[0051] Since a ready-made envelope is not required, economical efficiency and versatility at the time of creating a sealed letter can be improved. In particular, versatility can be further enhanced by using standard size A4 size envelope paper and B5 size document paper.

Finally, inside the sealed envelope,
It is possible to create a single envelope enclosing folded document paper. In addition, the envelope supply process, document folding process,
Since complicated steps such as a document input step and a sealing step are not required, mechanization and automation are easy, and the size and cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional configuration view of a sheet folding unit in an automatic letter-sealing machine according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a main part of a paper folding unit in the automatic letter-making apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the automatic letter-sealing device;

FIG. 4 is a side view showing the configuration of an adhesive adhering portion in the automatic letter-making apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a main part of an adhesive attachment portion in the automatic letter-sealing device,

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of a sheet folding unit in the automatic letter-making apparatus;

FIG. 7 is another operation explanatory diagram of the sheet folding unit in the automatic letter-sealing device.

FIG. 8 is another operation explanatory view of the sheet folding unit in the automatic letter-sealing device;

FIG. 9 is another operation explanatory diagram of the sheet folding unit in the automatic letter-sealing device.

FIG. 10 is another operation explanatory view of the sheet folding unit in the automatic letter-sealing device;

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing a procedure for creating a sealed letter by the automatic sealed letter creating apparatus;

FIG. 12 is another explanatory diagram showing a procedure for creating a sealed letter by the automatic sealed letter creating apparatus;

FIG. 13 is another explanatory diagram showing a procedure for creating a sealed letter by the automatic sealed letter creating apparatus;

FIG. 14 is another explanatory diagram showing a procedure for creating a sealed letter by the automatic sealed letter creating apparatus;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic letter-sealing device 4 Paper folding part 4r Folding mechanism 4s Folding mechanism 5e First positioning mechanism 5d Second positioning mechanism 6 Movable table 7f Fixed table 7r Fixed table 8f Elevating mechanism 8r Elevating mechanism 9f Press board 9r Press board 10f Press mechanism 10r Press mechanism 11f Idling roller 11r Drive roller 12p Bending arm mechanism 13p Bending arm mechanism J Adhesive Pe Envelope paper Pd Document paper Xe First setting position Xd Second setting position K1 First folding part K2 Second Folded part Jf Front adhesive part Jp Left adhesive part Jq Right adhesive part Pes Edge of envelope paper Pet Edge of envelope paper Pds Edge of document paper Pdt Edge of document paper Pdt

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B31B 49/04 B31B 1/00

Claims (9)

(57) [Claims] 1. A first positioning mechanism for positioning one envelope sheet having an adhesive adhered to a preset range at a first setting position, and one or more document sheets being placed in the first setting position. A second positioning mechanism that positions the envelope paper positioned at the second set position on the positioned envelope paper, the positioned envelope paper and the document paper, a first folded part and a second folded part that are divided into three in the longitudinal direction. A folding mechanism formed by a folding mechanism for forming the first folding portion and a folding mechanism for bonding the envelope paper by sequentially folding the first folding portion and the second folding portion. The set position and the positions of the first folded portion and the second folded portion, when the first folded portion is folded, the end portions of the folded envelope paper and the document paper do not overlap the second folded portion, and further, When the second folded part is folded, the envelope paper whose folded part is folded back the first folded part An automatic letter-sealing device wherein the edge of the folded document paper overlaps with the paper and is set so as not to overlap the edge of the envelope paper having the first folded portion folded. 2. The envelope sheet according to claim 1, wherein an adhesive is applied along the vicinity of a front edge portion of the envelope sheet, and both ends of the front adhesive portion extend along the vicinity of left and right edges. 2. The automatic letter-sealing device according to claim 1, further comprising a left adhesive portion and a right adhesive portion to which an adhesive is adhered over a predetermined length. 3. The automatic envelope creation device according to claim 1, wherein the envelope paper is A4 size. 4. The automatic letter-sealing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said document paper is B5 size. 5. The bending mechanism comprises: a movable base supported to be elastically displaceable downward; a pair of fixed bases disposed before and after the movable base; and a lifting mechanism disposed above the movable base. 2. The automatic sealed letter making apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a press mechanism having a pair of press boards before and after moving up and down. 6. The automatic press board according to claim 5, wherein the press board disposed on the front side in the transport direction has an idler roller whose roller surface protrudes from the lower surface of the press board and is supported elastically upward. Envelope making device. 7. The press board according to claim 5, wherein the press board disposed on the rear side in the transport direction has a drive roller whose roller surface protrudes from the lower surface of the press board and is supported elastically upward. Automatic sealed letter making device. 8. The folding mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the folding mechanism includes a folding arm mechanism that is rotatably displaced around one end portion and is capable of abutting an end portion on an edge of the envelope sheet. Automatic sealed letter making device as described. 9. The automatic letter-sealing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the press mechanism also functions as a part of the folding mechanism.