Abstract:
A self-adjusting side guide for a document-handling machine having a feed deck along which documents are transported is provided. The self-adjusting side guide includes a first member mounted for movement along the feed deck toward and away from the documents; a guide wall mechanism operatively connected to the first member for movement relative to the first member; and a biasing device that applies a biasing force that biases the guide wall into a first position relative to the first member. The side guide operates such that at times when an external force sufficient to move the first member along the feed deck in the direction of the documents is applied to the guide wall mechanism, the guide wall mechanism moves toward the documents against the biasing force from the first position to a second position relative to the first member without any movement of the first member toward the documents.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    Paper Handling devices are used to transport various types of documents (paper sheets, envelopes, postcards, etc.) to individual document processing stations. One type of processing station includes a printing device that prints information on the documents in a specified location. Accordingly, the proper registration of the document upon delivery to the printing device is very important in order to ensure that printing occurs at the specified location.  
           [0002]    A particular paper-handling device where the proper registration of a transported document is very important is a mailing machine. A mailing machine includes a feeder having an input hopper section into which mailpieces are placed. The feeder is part of the overall mailing machine transport system which delivers the mailpieces to a printing device (postage meter) that prints an evidence of postage (postage indicium) and possibly various bar codes on the mailpiece. Such bar codes can include a facer identification mark (FIM) or cryptographically secure data that is used by the postal authority to verify the authenticity of the printed postage indicium. The postal authority typically has very specific requirements as to the printed location of each of the aforementioned pieces of information that may appear on the mailpiece. The specified locations assist the postal authority in having automated equipment that can detect and read each piece of information printed on the mailpiece. Accordingly, delivering the mailpiece to the printing device in a correctly registered orientation is extremely important.  
           [0003]    In prior mailing machines, a side guide was used to register mailpieces against a registration wall in the hopper section. These conventional side guides were typically rigidly fastened to a sliding frame and could be moved toward and away from the registration wall. Thus, as mailpieces were placed in the hopper, the side guide was pushed against the outboard edges of the mailpieces until the inboard edges of the mailpieces became registered against the registration wall.  
           [0004]    While the prior side guides effectively initially registered the mailpieces in the hopper, it was often the case that the contact between the side guide and the outboard edges of the mailpieces created excessive drag on the mailpieces as the feeder attempted to transport the mailpieces downstream toward the printing device. The excessive drag would cause the mailpieces to become askew relative to the registration wall resulting in mailpieces that were delivered to the printing device in an improperly registered orientation. As a result, the printed matter was not be printed in the proper location on the mailpiece possibly leading to the failure of the information to be detected and read by the postal authority&#39;s automated equipment. In a worst case scenario, it was possible that the mailpiece would be delivered to the printing device outside of a “print zone” such that no information would be printed on the mailpiece. This would lead to mailpieces being rejected for lack of postage payment (no printed postage indicium) when indeed the postage meter had accounted for the required postage.  
           [0005]    Thus, what is needed is a side guide that can be used to properly register documents and which self-adjusts to eliminate the excessive drag problem discussed above.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    A self-adjusting side guide for a document-handling machine having a feed deck along which documents are transported is provided. The self-adjusting side guide includes a first member mounted for movement along the feed deck toward and away from the documents; a guide wall mechanism operatively connected to the first member for movement relative to the first member; and a biasing device that applies a biasing force that biases the guide wall into a first position relative to the first member. The side guide operates such that at times when an external force sufficient to move the first member along the feed deck in the direction of the documents is applied to the guide wall mechanism, the guide wall mechanism moves toward the documents against the biasing force from the first position to a second position relative to the first member without any movement of the first member toward the documents. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]    The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment given below, serve to explain the principles of the invention. Like numerals are used in the different Figures to refer to similar components.  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 1 is a side view, partly in section, of a conventional side guide;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line  2 - 2  of FIG. 1;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 3 is a side view, partly in section and partly broken away, of the inventive self-adjusting side guide in a first position in contact with a document stack;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 4 is a side view, partly in section and partly broken away, of the self-adjusting side guide in a second position out of contact with the document stack;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 5 is a top plan view, partly in section and partly broken away, of the self-adjusting side guide of FIG. 4  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 6 is a side view of a second embodiment of a self-adjusting side guide;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 7 is a side view of a third embodiment of a self-adjusting side guide;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 8 is a side view of a fourth embodiment of a self-adjusting side guide;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 9 is a side view of a fifth embodiment of a self-adjusting side guide; and  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a sixth embodiment of a self adjusting side-guide.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0018]    Referring to FIG. 1, portions of a mailing machine  1  having a conventional side guide  2  is shown. The side guide  2  includes a rail  3  and a guide wall  5  that terminates at its bottom end in a ramp configuration  7 . The rail  3  rides in a slot  8  of a feed deck  9  of the mailing machine  1  on top of bearing surfaces  10  that extend from the bottom of the feed deck  9 . The side guide  2  is movable against the friction force F BS  (required to resist motion of mailpieces) created by contact with the bearing surfaces  10  toward and away from a registration wall  11  of the mailing machine  1 . The feed deck  9  and the registration wall  11  define the hopper  12 .  
         [0019]    In the position shown, the guide wall  5  has been pushed against the outboard edges  13  of mailpieces  25  forcing the inboard edges  17  of the mailpieces  15  to be registered against the registration wall  11 . The bottommost mailpiece  15   a  rides on the ramp  7  providing a force due to gravity that biases the mailpieces toward the registration wall  12 . However, in this position the contact between the guide wall  5  and the outboard edges  13  creates a drag force that may prevent the mailpieces  15  from being fed downstream or cause the mailpieces  15  to become askew relative to the registration wall  11  when the mailpieces  15  are fed downstream.  
         [0020]    It has been recognized by the instant inventor that one way to overcome the above problem is to ensure that after the guide wall  5  is used to registers the mailpieces  15  against the registration wall  12  it is moved away from the outboard edges  13  an amount ideally as small as 0.010 to 0.020 inches. However, a retraction of the guide wall  15  up to 0.100 inches is acceptable. This movement of the guide wall  5  would eliminate the drag effect and permit the free feeding of the mailpieces downstream in the properly registered position. However, performing this adjustment manually is not efficient and often requires trial and error by a user in order to effectively position the guide wall  5 .  
         [0021]    By way of reference to FIGS. 2, 3, and  4  one embodiment of the instant invention is shown whereby a side guide  21  that self-adjusts to correct the drag effect problem discussed above is shown. The side guide  21  includes a guide rail  23  rides in the slot  8  of the feed deck  9  on top of the bearing surfaces  10  that extend from the bottom of the feed deck  9 . Accordingly, the side guide  21  moves in the same manner as the prior art side guide  2  relative to registering the mailpieces  25  against registration wall  11 .  
         [0022]    However, unlike the prior art side guides, the guide rail  23  includes an upper angled section  25  made up of a horizontal wall  27  and a vertical wall  29 . Further, a guide wall mechanism  31  includes an inverted unshaped channel  32  therein that divides the guide wall mechanism  31  into a guide wall  33  and a rear housing  35 . The guide wall  33  terminates in a ramp  37  upon which the bottom mailpiece  15   a  in the hopper  12  rests.  
         [0023]    The guide wall mechanism  31  is positioned such that the vertical wall  29  fits into the inverted unshaped channel  32  and the rear housing  35  rests on the horizontal wall  27  to provide stability to the guide wall mechanism  31  while allowing it to float relative to the vertical wall  29  as discussed further below. The rear housing  35  has two cavities  39 ,  41  that respectively house springs  43 ,  45 . The springs  43 ,  45  are captured between the cavities  39 ,  41  and the vertical wall  29  and create a biasing force F B  that tends to bias the guide wall mechanism  31  away from the vertical wall  29 .  
         [0024]    Specifically referring to FIG. 2, the guide wall mechanism  31  is shown as having been moved, due to the application of an external force F, in the direction of arrow “A” into contact with the outboard edges  13  of the mailpieces  15  such that the inboard edges  17  are registered against the registration wall  11 . In this position a gap  47  of between 0.010 to 0.020 inches (preferably 0.015 inches) exists between a front surface  49  of vertical wall  29  and a rear surface  51  of guide wall  33 . However, once the external force F is removed, the biasing force of springs  43 ,  45  forces the guide wall mechanism  31  to move in the direction of arrow “B” until the rear surface  51  contacts the front surface  49 . In this position, a gap  53  now exists between the outboard edges of the mailpieces  15  and a front surface  55  of guide wall  33 . The gap  53  ensures that the front surface  55  of guide wall  33  does not create a drag force on the properly registered mailpieces  15  such that they are free to be fed in a properly registered orientation downstream.  
         [0025]    When a new set of mailpieces  15  are subsequently placed in the hopper, the guide mechanism of FIG. 3 will be moved to the position of FIG. 2 under the force F in order to register the new mailpieces  15  against the registration wall  11 . In order for the guide mechanism  31  to properly operate, the following force relationship must exist:  
         F&gt;F BS &gt;F B    
         [0026]    That is, when the external force F is applied to the side guide mechanism  31 , it will first overcome the force F B  so that the side guide mechanism  31  will move from the position of FIG. 3 to that of FIG. 2 without any corresponding movement of the guide rail  23 . However, once the shoulder portions  57  of rear housing  35  contact vertical wall  29 , the external force F overcomes the force F BS  so that the entire side guide mechanism  21  will move together toward the registration wall  12  until the mailpieces  15  are forced into registration against the registration wall.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 6 shows a side guide  61  including a handle  62  attached to a slide rail  63  at a pivot point  65 . A spring  67  biases the handle  62  into the position shown in solid line. When registration of mailpieces is required, a force F is applied to handle  62  causing the handle  62  to pivot to its dotted line position. Since ramp portion  69  now contacts slide rail  63  further application of force F causes the slide rail  63  to move to permit handle  62  to register the mailpieces in a manner previously described. Once the Force F is removed, the handle  62  returns under the force of spring  67  to the solid line position.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 7 shows a side guide  71  including a handle  73 connected via a flexure mechanism  75  to slide rail  77 . As the force F is applied the handle  73  will move relative to the slide rail  77  as shown by the dotted line figure. The handle  73  will move until portion  78  thereof contacts portion  79  of slide rail  77 . At this point in time the entire slide rail  77  moves to register the mailpieces. Once the force F is removed, the handle  73  returns to the solid line position.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 8 shows a side guide mechanism  81  having a handle  83  pivotally mounted at point  84  to slide rail  85 . Coil spring  87  biases the handle  83  in the position shown into the position shown in FIG. 8. Spring  87  acts in the same manner as spring  67  of FIG. 6 with respect to the movement and retraction of handle  83  relative to slide rail  85 .  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 9 shows a side guide  91  having a handle  93  that is connected to slide rail  95  via a four bar linkage system  97  (only two shown—other side has two bars). While the links  97  pivot about their connections on the slide rail  95 , the handle  93  moves up and toward the mailpiecess when force F is applied. The handle  93  during its movement always maintains its planar surface  98  in a parallel orientation relative to slide rail  95 . The handle  93  moves until its back end  94  contacts the rear end  96  of slide rail  95  at which point the slide rail  95  and handle  93  move together toward the mailpieces. Spring  99  returns the handle  93  to the position of FIG. 9 upon removal of force F.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 10 shows yet another side guide  101  having a handle  103  and a rack and pinion system including rack components  107 ,  109  and pinions  110  connected via a shaft  111 . The upper rack portions  107  are attached to the handle  103  and the lower rack portions  109  are attached to slide rail  105 . When a force F is applied to the handle  103  its moves toward the mailpieces via the rack and pinion system while the slide rail  105  remains stationary. However, when the rack and pinion system reaches the end of the track, the handle  103  and rail  105  move together and into engagement with the mailpieces. Spring  113  returns the handle  103  to its original position upon the removal of force F.  
         [0032]    Additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, and representative devices, shown and described herein. Accordingly, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims. For example, the springs  43 , and  45  can be any type of spring such as a leaf spring or any other device such as an elastomeric material that provides the desired biasing force. Moreover, one having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the springs, rail, guide wall mechanism can be configured in many different orientations and forms in order to achieve the basic effect whereby the guide wall mechanism is free to float over a specified range relative to rail. Moreover, a visible indicator can be included on ramp  37  which the operator can use to ensure that the side guide has retracted the required minimum amount.