JPH04303698A - Printing processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To judge an enclosing and sealing quality of a printed matter in an enclosed and sealed state. CONSTITUTION:Printed matters fed from printers 10A, 10B, 10C and a leaflet fed from a leaflet supply device 18 are enclosed and sealed in an envelope, which is printed by a printer 10D, using an adhesive per address by an enclosing and sealing device 26. The position of the printed matters enclosed and sealed in the envelope is automatically examined by a light-transmitting examination device 40 or an X-ray examination device. Defective matters are rejected by a rejecting device 41.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Field of Application] The present invention provides a printing device that prints various data for each destination at a predetermined timing, and prints printed matter stored in the printing device and other printed matter printed and supplied in advance for each destination. The present invention relates to a printing processing device comprising a processing device for enclosing and sealing envelopes.

0002

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In business fields with a large number of subscribers and customers, such as telephone business and database business, each subscriber or customer is required to receive individually specific correspondence, such as invoices and communications for service usage. It is often necessary to attach it to an invoice and send it by mail.

[0003] In such a case, since the number of documents to be enclosed differs for each destination, an apparatus that can print them at high speed is desired. Such correspondence usually has certain texts and figures printed on it in advance depending on the type of document, and it is difficult to print all documents sent to one destination using one printer. Not only is it difficult in terms of paper supply, but printing fixed data (fixed text) along with variable data does not make full use of the printer's printing speed and is uneconomical.

[0004] Therefore, in such applications, different printers are assigned depending on the type of document (for example, invoices, billing details, billing details, etc.), and each printer is assigned a corresponding fixed text (figures, ruled lines, etc.). A print processing apparatus has been proposed that supplies paper on which variable data (including ``printed data'') has been printed in advance, and collects documents with variable data printed individually by each printer for each destination. Furthermore, as an even more efficient method, there is also a method provided with a sorting means for sorting the entire printed content according to the amount of printing in a predetermined category.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to improve the efficiency of printing processing, the conventional printing processing apparatus described above uses an automatic adhesive device when inserting and sealing printed matter into an envelope. Normally, the printed matter that is inserted or sealed is in the correct position within the envelope, so there is no problem, but if an abnormality occurs and it is shifted from the correct position, unnecessary adhesive will stick to the printed matter, making it impossible to read the printed matter correctly after opening the envelope. There are other problems.

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is a printing method that automatically detects when a printed matter is not in the correct position within an envelope and prevents it from being sent as is to the destination. The purpose is to provide processing equipment.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] A print processing device of the present invention includes a printing device that prints various data for each destination at a predetermined timing, and printed matter produced by the printing device and other printed matter printed and supplied in advance. and a processing device that inserts and seals the printed material into envelopes using adhesive for each destination.The printing processing device includes a processing device that uses adhesive to insert and seal the printed material into envelopes for each destination. It has a light transmission inspection device that detects the position and determines whether the position is acceptable, or it irradiates the envelope in which the printed matter is enclosed and sealed with X-rays to detect the position of the printed matter inside the envelope and determines the position. Preferably, if the light transmission inspection device or the X-ray inspection device determines that the position of the printed matter in the envelope is unacceptable, the envelope is separated from the one that passed. Includes exclusionary means of exclusion.

[0008]

[Operation] When the corresponding printed matter is sealed in an envelope for each destination, a light transmission inspection device or an X-ray inspection device detects the position of the printed matter within the envelope and determines whether the detected position is acceptable or not. In addition, if there is an exclusion means, rejected envelopes are automatically excluded from accepted envelopes.

[0009]

Embodiments Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the printing processing apparatus of the present invention, which is applied to a system for printing a telephone bill and inserting and sealing the bill into an envelope. Further, FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the movement status of sheets printed by the printers 10A, 10B, and 10C, flyers supplied from the flyer supply device 18, and envelope paper printed by the printer 10D. . Each of the printers 10A, 10B, and 10C prints a bill with a transfer form on a continuous sheet of paper on which predetermined fixed text (fixed information) is printed, a bill breakdown, and a fixed text related to the billing details (i.e., shapes such as frames, Continuous paper is supplied with pre-printed fixed information (including publisher, greeting, etc.). In addition, the printer 10
D is supplied with continuous paper for forming envelopes. The printing speed of the printers 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D can be controlled by the control circuit 12.
In addition to the printing speed control signal, print character pattern data (raster data) D1, D2, D3, D4
is supplied to each printer 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D.

[0011] The cutting devices 14A, 14B, and 14C cut the printed continuous sheets outputted from the printers 10A, 10B, and 10C into three documents, respectively, and fold them into three. In this embodiment, the same barcode is printed on documents to the same destination so that the relationship between the documents printed by the printers 10A, 10B, and 10C can be confirmed, and the barcode reading devices 16A, 16B, and 16C are printed with the same barcode. , respectively cutting device 1
It is arranged so as to read the bar code of each cut sheet discharged from 4A, 14B, and 14C. Note that for ease of understanding, in FIG.
For B, 10C, and 10D, only the printing drum is shown, and the cutting devices 14A, 14B, and 14C and the barcode reading devices 16A, 16B, and 16C are not shown. It shows that later. The bill printed by the printer 10A moves in the direction of an arrow 30A, and the bill is printed by the printer 10A.
The bill details printed by printer 10B move as shown by arrow 30B, and the bill details printed by printer 10C move as shown by arrow 3.
Move like 0C.

[0012] First, leaflets enclosed in the basket 20, which is conveyed in the direction of arrow L by the conveyor 24, regardless of the destination, are discharged from the leaflet supply device 18. As the basket 20 advances, the bill details printed by the printer 10C, the bill details printed by the printer 10B, and the bill with transfer paper printed by the printer 10A are stored in the basket 20. The drive device 22 drives the conveyor belt 4. Although details will be described later, in this embodiment, the printing speeds V1, V2,
V3 is adjusted, and one basket 20 contains, in addition to flyers from the flyer supply device 18, one or more bill details for the same destination, one or more bill details, and one bill with transfer paper. is now accommodated.

The enclosing/sealing device 26 inserts all the documents in one basket 20 into a continuous envelope sheet on which the address is printed by the printer 10D, encloses/seals it with adhesive, and cuts it.

The light transmission inspection machine 40 has a conveyor belt 24
It consists of a light source installed above, a camera (for example, a CCD image sensor) installed below the conveyor belt 24 facing the light source, and an image signal processing device that processes the image signal of the camera.

The light transmission inspection machine 40 includes an enclosing/sealing device 26
The light source irradiates the envelopes that are being cut and transported from
The transmitted image of the envelope from the camera is image-processed to check whether the printed matter inside is within the specified position. For example, Figure 3
Referring to , the outer edge PM0 of the printed matter PE is the envelope EV
A limit line EV defined within a predetermined length from the outer edge EV0 of
Since it can be seen that it is further inside than 1, it is judged as passing. Furthermore, if the outer edge PM0 is outside the limit line EV1, it is judged as a failure and a failure signal is output. In the case of pass or fail, the operator may be notified by outputting a sound of each tone or displaying a lamp, or in the case of fail, the entire system may be temporarily reset at an appropriate timing until the operator performs a reset operation. It may be stopped. Light transmission inspection machine 4
The above technology regarding 0 can be easily understood using conventional imaging technology, image processing technology, etc., so a detailed explanation will be omitted.

The conveying direction changing device 41 is a light transmission inspection machine 4.
0 outputs a rejection signal, the arm projects along the conveyor surface diagonally to the direction of conveyor movement (indicated by a dotted line in Fig. 2), guides the envelope out of the conveyor belt 24, and shares it with other acceptable products. Avoid mixing. The operator re-inspects the envelopes that have been led out of the conveyor belt 24, and if it is necessary to re-output them, separately instructs the print processing device to re-output them.

Next, FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
Explain with reference to.

In this embodiment, an X-ray inspection machine (not shown) is used in place of the light transmission inspection machine 40. In addition, for printed matter to be stored in envelopes, materials such as metal sheets are used, or the ink of the printer of the printing device is ink containing metal powder or magnetic toner. To make it possible to determine the position of a printed matter in an envelope by detecting the state.

The X-ray inspection machine includes an X-ray generator installed above the conveyor belt 24 and an X-ray generator installed below the conveyor belt 24.
It consists of an X-ray camera installed opposite the ray generator, and an image signal processing device that processes the image signals of the X-ray camera.

The printed matter is printed by printing characters and corner marks with magnetic toner as shown in FIG. 4(a), folding it as shown in FIG. 4(b), and enclosing and sealing it as shown in FIG. 4(c). X
The line inspection machine detects the position of corner marks or characters on the printed matter within the envelope from the outer edge of the envelope, and determines whether the position of the printed matter within the envelope is acceptable. In case of failure,
The conveyance direction converting device 41 performs processing such as leading rejected envelopes out of the conveyor belt 24.

[0021]

Effects of the Invention As explained above, the present invention allows a light transmission inspection device or an X-ray inspection device to determine whether or not the position of a sealed printed matter in an envelope is correct, thereby preventing adhesive from undesirably sticking to the printed matter. This has the effect of being able to prevent objects from being sent out and significantly improving the reliability of the print processing device.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of a print processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an X-ray transmission image of an envelope taken by a light transmission inspection device.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the state of enclosing and sealing printed matter in the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

10A, 10B, 10C, 10D Printer 12
Control circuits 14A, 14B, 14C Cutting devices 16A, 16
B, 16C Barcode reader 18
Leaflet feeding device 20 Basket 22 Drive device 24 Conveyor belt 26 Enclosing and sealing device 28 Sorting circuit 40 Light transmission inspection device 41 Conveyance direction conversion device

Claims (4)

[Claims] Claim 1: A printing device that prints various data for each destination at a predetermined timing; and a printing device that prints printed matter in the printing device and other printed materials that are preprinted and supplied to each destination using an adhesive. In a print processing device that includes a processing device that inserts and seals the printed matter into an envelope, the envelope in which the printed matter is enclosed and sealed is irradiated with a light beam to detect the position of the printed matter within the envelope and determine whether the position is acceptable or not. A print processing device characterized by having a light transmission inspection device. 2. The light transmission inspection device includes an exclusion means for excluding the envelope from the accepted envelopes when the position of the printed matter in the envelope is determined to be unacceptable. Print processing device. 3. A printing device that prints various data for each destination at a predetermined timing, and printing materials that are printed in the printing device and other printed materials that are preprinted and supplied to each destination using an adhesive. In a print processing device that includes a processing device that inserts and seals the printed material into an envelope, the envelope in which the printed material is inserted and sealed is irradiated with X-rays to detect the position of the printed material within the envelope and determine whether the position is acceptable or not. 1. A print processing device comprising an X-ray inspection device. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein when the X-ray inspection device determines that the position of the printed matter in the envelope is unacceptable, the X-ray inspection device includes an exclusion means for excluding the envelope from the accepted envelopes. Print processing device.