Patent ID: 6536184
Filing Date: 2003-03-25
Classification: B43M

Abstract:
Envelope-filling apparatus (10) for mail-processing machines, havinga carrier hand (15) which is connected to a machine framework such that it can be pivoted via a pivot-lever arrangement; a pivot drive (21a, 20a, 19) which acts on the pivot-lever arrangement and causes the carrier hand to move back and forth; a push-in-finger arrangement (22) which is connected pivotably to the carrier hand (15) and, in a guide-controlled manner (26, 27, 28, 29), can be lowered in an operating stroke, and raised in a return stroke, relative to the carrier hand, as the latter moves back and forth, and is loaded in the direction of the lowered position by prestressing means (25); a baseplate (21) onto which enclosures which are to be inserted into envelopes are conveyed and over which the push-in-finger ends (23), loaded by the prestressing means (25), are guided; and an envelope-feed arrangement which conveys envelopes (31) into a region in the vicinity of the baseplate (21) and holds said envelopes ready in the open state for the insertion of enclosures; characterized in thatthe pivot-lever arrangement (13, 14, 15) is formed by a three-lever rectilinear-guidance mechanism which is known per se, has the top ends of a short lever (13) and of a long lever (14) connected to framework-mounted points of articulation (12, 11) and has the bottom ends of the short lever and of the long lever connected in an articulated manner (16, 17) to a third, carrier-hand-forming lever (15) of the three-link rectilinear-guidance mechanism; a point of articulation (18) of the push-in-finger arrangement (22) on that side of the point of articulation (17) of the long lever (14) which is located opposite the point of articulation (16) of the short lever (13) is arranged at the free end of the third lever (15), the lever lengths and the distances between the axes of the points of articulation being selected such that, when the pivot-lever arrangement pivots, the pin (18) of the point of articulation of the push-in-finger arrangement (22) moves essentially at a constant height over the baseplate (21), in the direction perpendicular to its axis, in the operating direction or in the return-stroke direction; and the third lever (15), between the point of articulation (17) to the long lever and the point of articulation (18) of the push-in-finger arrangement (22), has a slide guide (34) which can be secured and is intended for adjusting the distance between the two points of articulation in the push-in direction.