Patent ID: 6715755
Filing Date: 2004-04-06
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
An aligner for aligning and maintaining regular spacing of envelopes traveling in a mail processing system comprising:an aligner wall comprising a vertical aligner surface of a vertical aligner belt, the vertical aligner belt rotating such that the vertical aligner surface is moving in an output flow direction at a belt velocity; an aligner transport disposed next to the aligner surface of the aligner belt, the aligner transport having a transport velocity component in the output flow direction and a normal velocity component normal to the aligner surface, whereby an envelope placed on the aligner transport is simultaneously transported in the output flow direction and urged against the aligner surface; an input transport inputting envelopes at regular intervals in an input direction, the input direction being different than the output flow direction; and a redirecting transport receiving envelopes from the input transport and redirecting them in a direction between the input direction and the output flow direction, the redirecting transport providing envelopes to the aligner wall and aligner transport, the redirecting transport having a velocity component in the output flow direction equal to the transport velocity component of the aligner transport; and wherein the belt velocity is equal to the transport velocity component whereby a reactionary force from an impact of envelopes against the aligner wall in performing a change is minimized.