Device for inserting bundles into envelopes

A device for inserting bundles into envelopes comprises a table fastened to a drive carriage for receiving the bundle and inserted with it into the envelope. A pair of retractable pusher fingers on support arms fastened to the carriage push the bundle on the table during the forward stroke of the carriage and retract during the return stroke of the carriage. The device is usable in automatic mail processing systems.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the invention 
The present invention relates to the automatic insertion of bundles of 
documents into envelopes, in particular in automatic mail processing 
machines. 
2. Description of the prior art 
Bundles to be inserted successively into envelopes may be formed of one or 
more sheets. In an automatic mail processing machine the insertion into 
envelopes is effected at the output from a folder or from a device for 
assembling or transporting bundles. The insertion devices may comprise 
pusher tabs or insert rollers which push the bundle into an envelope 
extracted from a pile of envelopes and offered up open on the trajectory 
of the bundle. 
There is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 3,412,995 a device of this 
kind with fingers which hold the bundle against the surface of a table to 
transfer them from a bundle entry station to an open envelope holding 
station. According to this document, the table is fixed to an upper frame 
on a carriage reciprocated in translation on guide rods. The clamping 
fingers are formed at the end of a pivoting arm inside the frame. By means 
of appropriate openings in the table, these fingers can be raised above 
the table or retracted. For the purpose of controlling the fingers, the 
arm is urged into a position such that its fingers are retracted but 
carries on its lower edge a peg which, in bearing on a guide surface 
provided in one of the rods, causes the raising of the fingers at the ends 
and beginnings of the forward and return strokes of the assembly. The 
guide surface defines a higher level on which the peg bears at the ends 
and beginnings of the forward and return strokes and a lower bearing level 
between these, transitional ramps linking the higher and lower levels. 
During the forward stroke, the fingers are initially raised. The peg 
reaching the first transitional ramp corresponds to the raised fingers 
reaching the bundle. This transitional ramp then allows the fingers to 
drop so as to clamp against the surface of the table the bundle which is 
thus transported and inserted into the envelope. At the end of the same 
forward stroke the second transitional ramp causes the fingers to be 
raised again and release the bundle which is then pushed fully into the 
envelope. 
During the return stroke, the clamping fingers are retracted during the 
travel of the peg over the lower level of its guide surface. 
A device of this kind protects the bundle during its insertion into the 
envelope by virtue of the insertion of the table with the bundle into the 
envelope. On the other hand, the action of the clamping fingers urged into 
bearing engagement on the bundle and retained by the bundle during its 
transportation may damage it prior to its insertion and is therefore 
unsatisfactory. 
One specific objective of the present invention is to eliminate this 
disadvantage. Another objective of the invention is to provide for the 
proper insertion of bundles of varying size into corresponding envelopes 
with the bundles protected throughout such insertion. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention consists in a device for inserting bundles into 
envelopes, comprising: 
a fixed bundle entry station, 
a fixed open envelope holding station facing and spaced from said entry 
station, 
guides and a carriage movable in translation on said guides, 
a bundle receiving table extending under said entry station and carried by 
said carriage, 
drive means for reciprocating said carriage, by virtue of a forward stroke 
and return stroke, between two positions one of which is a working 
position in which said table is inserted in the envelope and the other of 
which is an idle position in which it is below said entry station, 
retractable pusher fingers attached to said carriage which are raised to 
form an abutment for said bundle on the forward stroke and retracted on 
the return stroke, 
parallel support arms extending between the levels defined by said entry 
station and said table and carrying said pusher fingers which are pivoted 
with longitudinal play to first end portions of said support arms, and 
coupling means between said support arms and said carriage comprising at 
least elastic first linking means for relative translation to the extent 
of said longitudinal play of said pusher fingers on said support arms, 
between the forward stroke and the return stroke and vice-versa, for which 
said pusher fingers are respectively raised on said support arms to form 
an abutment for the bundle and retracted. 
Other characteristics and the advantages of the present invention will 
emerge from the following description of one embodiment given by way of 
non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
With reference to FIG. 1, it is seen that the device for inserting a bundle 
into an envelope has a bundle entry station 1 and an open envelope holding 
station 2 facing the bundle entry station. 
On the upstream side of the bundle entry station is a bundle guide path 3 
defined by endless belts or bands 30 and 31 disposed between sets of 
pulley wheels 32 and 33 in the case of the upper belt 30 and 34, 35 and 36 
in the case of the lower belt 31. This guide path connects the output from 
an automatic folder (not shown) to the entry station 1, for example. 
The bundle entry station 1 is defined by a fixed plate 10 extending under 
the bundle guide path 3 and projecting beyond the two end pulleys 33 and 
36 of the guide path towards the envelope holding station 2. 
The plate 10 is at a distance from the envelope holding station 2. Facing 
this station 2, the edge of the plate 10 is inclined to the horizontal and 
is barred by the end of an abutment member 12 called the bundle 
constituting abutment member. This abutment member is pivoted about an 
axis 13 by a solenoid 14 the moving arm of which is coupled to the other 
end of the abutment member. This pivoting of the abutment member enables 
the bundle to be released from the entry station for its insertion in an 
envelope. 
The envelope holding station 2 holds the envelope 20 immobile with its open 
side facing the station 1. This envelope holding station 2 normally 
constitutes the output from a device for extracting envelopes from a 
magazine or a mechanism for transporting envelopes taken one by one from a 
magazine, not shown since it does not form part of the present invention. 
Consequently, the station 2 is shown schematically as being formed by two 
holding slideways 22 and 23 defining between them a bundle insertion 
opening 24; the flap 21 of the envelope passes over one of the slideways, 
the other slideway enabling the rear surface of the envelope to be held at 
a distance from its front surface, so as to open the envelope across the 
width of the opening 24. 
With reference to FIG. 1 and/or FIG. 2 in which, to clarify the diagram, 
the plate 10 and the guide path 3 are not shown, it is seen that the 
device essentially comprises two identical retractable pusher fingers 4 
which are individually mounted on the facing end portions of two parallel 
support arms 5 fastened to a carriage 6 and a table 7 also fastened to the 
carriage 6. 
The carriage 6 is U-shaped with the table 7 extending over it on one side. 
It has at the end of one of its branches a horizontal lip extending away 
from the table. 
The carriage 6 is equipped with guide bushes 60, 61 for the slideways 62. 
It is reciprocated on its slideways 62 by a crank and crankshaft type 
drive mechanism coupled to the bush 60. As this drive mechanism is well 
known per se, it has not been shown in the diagrams, and in particular in 
FIG. 1, so as to enable the essential component parts of the device to be 
shown to a suitable scale. It has merely been symbolically represented by 
an arrow 63. It drives the carriage 6 between two defined limit positions, 
one called the idle position in which the device is shown and the other 
called the working position in which the carriage 6, the table 7 and the 
pusher fingers 4 are as indicated in dashed line in FIG. 1. In this 
working position the fingers are just in front of the opening 24 and the 
table 7 is in the envelope 20. 
The support arms 5 and the pusher fingers 4 extend over the table 7. They 
are separated from one another by a distance slightly greater than the 
width of the plate 10. The ends of the pusher fingers 40 are disposed at 
substantially the same level as the median part of the table 7; they 
expose the forward part 70 of the table 7 for receiving the bundle 
evacuated from the entry station 1. At the end opposite the pusher fingers 
4 the support arms 5 are connected by a crossmember 50. The connection 
between the support arms 5 and the carriage 6 is made on the crossmember 
50. 
The table 7 extends below the entry station 1. In terms of levels, it is 
offset from the plate 10 by a distance slightly greater than the height of 
the support arms relative to the table 7, but less than the height of the 
non-retracted pusher fingers relative to the table. Thus the pusher 
fingers which lie one on each side of the plate 10 are above the level of 
the plate when they are not retracted, whereas they are withdrawn below 
the level of the plate and can pass under the non-retracted abutment 
member 12 when they are retracted. 
A shelf 64 fixed to the carriage 6 extends at substantially the same level 
as the table 7, which it partially overlaps. The width of this shelf 64 is 
slightly greater than the overall separation of the support arms 5. The 
shelf has two folded up longitudinal edges 64a which extend externally 
along the support arms 5 and carry two angle brackets 64b which extend 
internally along the support arms (FIG. 4). 
The table 7 is mounted on an auxiliary carriage 8 which is accommodated in 
the carriage 60 and is coupled to it for the purpose of driving the table 
10. The connection between the table 7 and the carriage 6 is provided by a 
pair of rods 65 disposed between the carriage 6 and the auxiliary carriage 
8. 
The mounting of the pusher fingers 4 on the end portions of the support arm 
will be described with particular reference to FIG. 3. 
These pusher fingers 4 are pivoted to the end portions of the support arms. 
They are of inverted U-shape and fit over the end portions of the support 
arms. Each carries a pin 40 mounted between the sides of the U-shape. This 
pin is inserted into an oblong opening or slot 51 in the end portions of 
the support arms; it defines the finger pivot axis. Spring rods 41 are 
mounted along the outside of the support arms 5, between the end of the 
pin retaining each pusher finger and the carriage 6 (FIG. 2). These spring 
rods 41 are stiff and of arcuate shape, functioning in bending and 
providing an elastic coupling urging the pusher fingers 4 into their 
retracted position. 
The openings 51 through which the pins 40 pass provide longitudinal play of 
the support arms 5 relative to the pusher fingers 4, the pivot axes of 
which are held by the spring rods 41 relative to the carriage 6. 
The end portion of each support arm 5, on the inside of the pusher finger, 
is shaped to define an end inclined ramp or surface 52 and an intermediate 
horizontal plateau 53. Correspondingly, each pusher finger carries a 
bottom roller 42 mounted transversely between the sides of the U-shaped 
profile. This roller rests on the plateau 53 or the ramp 52, according to 
the position adopted by the support arms 5 relative to the pusher fingers. 
When it bears on the plateau 53 it holds the end of the pusher finger in 
the raised position on the support arm. It is guided along the ramp 52 
during the displacement of the opening 51 on the pin 40, to pivot the 
pusher finger. When it bears on the end of the support arm, at the lower 
level of the ramp 52, the pusher finger is retracted, simply capping the 
end portion of the support arm. 
The linkage between the carriage 6 and the support arms 5 for driving the 
support arms and controling pivoting of the fingers will now be described 
with reference to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. 
The carriage 6 is elastically coupled to the support arms 5 by a pair of 
springs 55. These springs 55 are mounted on supporting rods 57 between a 
support 54 fixed to the crossmember 50 linking the support arms 5 and an 
abutment angle bracket 56 fixed to the shelf 64 mounted on the carriage 6. 
Associated with this elastic coupling between the carriage 6 and the 
support arms 5 is a supplementary mechanism 9 coupled to the carriage 6. 
This mechanism comprises a hub 90 mounted by rings 91, 92 between the 
horizontal lip and the bottom of the carriage 6. This hub extends slightly 
beyond the height of the carriage. It carries at its end two pawls 93 and 
94, the pawl 93 extending under the crossmember 50 being referred to as 
that for placing the pusher fingers 4 in the non-retracted position and 
the pawl 94 extending under the carriage 6 being referred to as that for 
placing the pusher fingers 4 in the retracted position. 
The pawls 93 and 94 are disposed substantially at right angles to one 
another on the hub. The pawl 93 is held substantially transversely to the 
support arm 5 by a return spring 95 fixed to the carriage 6. It has a 
notch 96 in its side. This pawl 93 cooperates with a pin 58 carried by the 
support 54 fixed to the crossmember 5 linking the support arms 5, this pin 
passing through the horizontal lip of the carriage 6 and the shelf 64 
separating the crossmember and the pawl. When it is engaged in the noth 96 
in the pawl, the pin 58 constitutes a non-elastic coupling between the 
carriage and the support arms 5, being substituted on the forward stroke 
of the carriage for the elastic coupling implemented by the springs 55. 
When this pin 58 is engaged in the notch 96 in the pawl 93, the springs 55 
are compressed and draw back the support arms by bringing the lefthand end 
of the openings 51 over the pins 40 as shown in FIG. 3 so as to lock the 
pusher fingers 4 in the non-retracted position. 
Associated with the pawl 93 and the pin 58 are a pair of buffer abutments 
15 fixed in position in the device. These buffer abutments are disposed 
facing the support arms 5 on a crossmember 16 of the device, the abutments 
15 and the crossmember 16 being visible in FIG. 2 but not shown in FIGS. 3 
and 4 to clarify the illustration. These abutments 15 limit the travel of 
the support arms 5 driven by the carriage when the carriage arrives at the 
idle position. These abutments lock the pin 58 in the groove 96 when the 
carriage 6 arrives at the idle position, this pin being outside the notch 
96 during the return stroke of the carriage 6. 
The pawl 94 has a notch 98 in its side at the end (FIGS. 2 and 4). It 
cooperates with a pivotable abutment member 18 (FIGS. 2 and 3) disposed on 
the trajectory of the pawl 94 schematically represented by the 
chain-dotted lines 99 in FIG. 3. This abutment member 18 is mounted to 
pivot about an axis 18a in the device and is spring-loaded by means of a 
spring 19 so as to permit the free engagement of the end of the pawl over 
its forward end and then its retraction by pivoting in the direction of 
the arrow 19a towards the end of the forward stroke of the carriage 6. In 
the working position of the carriage, that is to say at the end of the 
forward stroke, the pawl 94 is beyond the abutment member 18 which, 
released, has swung back due to the action of the spring 19. 
For the return stroke of the carriage 6, this abutment member 18 forms a 
non-retractable obstacle, however. The notch 98 in the side of the pawl 94 
is then engaged over the rear edge of the abutment member 18. The 
retention of the pawl 94 on the abutment member 18 causes the pawl 94 to 
pivot about the axis of the hub 90 to move the pawl 94 along the abutment 
member 18. This pivoting of the pawl 94, transmitted to the pawl 93, 
unlocks the pin 58 from its notch 96 to remove the non-elastic coupling 
between the carriage and the support arms, as effected by the pin 58 in 
the notch 96 in the pawl 94, leaving only the elastic coupling implemented 
by the springs 55. At the same time due to the action of the springs 55 
operative in compression on the crossmember 50, the support arms 5 are 
subject to a displacement in the direction of the arrow fr relative to the 
carriage 6. The position of the support arms relative to the carriage for 
the return stroke of the carriage is outlined in dashed line to the left 
in FIG. 3. By virtue of this displacement in the direction of the arrow 
fr, the opening 51 has slid over the pin 40 and the rollers 42 have slid 
along the ramp 52. Given these conditions, the spring rods 41 urge the 
pusher fingers 4 into the retracted position. The return stroke of the 
carriage 6, to the idle position, is thus effected with the fingers 
retracted. 
The duration of the return stroke with pusher fingers retracted is 
advantageously employed to feed a bundle to be placed in an envelope to 
the entry station 1 closed by the abutment member 12, this bundle arriving 
on the plate 10 already formed of one or more sheets or being made up on 
the plate 10 by the accumulation of individual sheets arriving one after 
the other. 
The pusher fingers 4 are moved to the non-retracted position at the end of 
the return stroke of the carriage 6. This return stroke of the carriage 6 
is slightly longer than that possible for the support arms 5, limited by 
the buffer abutment members 15. On arrival of the carriage at its idle 
position, the thrust exerted by the abutment member 15 on the ends of the 
support arms is transmitted to the crossmember 50 and to the pin 58. The 
pin 58, guided along the edge of the pawl, is locked into the notch 96 to 
establish a non-elastic coupling between the carriage 6 and the support 
arms 5 for its forward stroke. This thrust compresses the springs 55 and 
causes displacement in the direction of the arrow fa of the support arms 5 
relative to the carriage 6, to move them to the position shown in full 
line in FIG. 3. During this displacement in the direction of the arrow fa, 
the opening 51 has slid on the pin 40 and, at the same time, the rollers 
42 have moved up the ramps 52 to position themselves on the plateaus and 
hold the ends of the pusher fingers 4 projecting from their support arms. 
During this forward stroke, the abutment member 12 is retracted by the 
solenoid. The pusher fingers laterally sweep the level of the plate 10 in 
order to move the bundle from the plate 10 to the table 7 which receives 
it and form an abutment member for this bundle on the table, during their 
insertion into the envelope 20. 
As soon as insertion of the table 7 into the envelope 20 begins, the new 
bundle may arrive already made up or may be made up on the plate 10 closed 
by the abutment member 12. The duration of the end of the forward stroke 
is thus added to the duration of the return stroke for feeding a new 
bundle to the entry station 1. 
In order to place the bundle in an envelope, the combination of the table 7 
and bundle is inserted into the envelope. Given these conditions, the 
bundle is protected by the table, even if a jam should occur. 
To allow for the placing in envelopes of bundles of different sizes, the 
table 7 on its carriage 8 is of adjustable length and width relative to 
references related to the carriage 6 driven between its two defined 
limiting positions, the working and idle positions. 
The table 7 is formed by a set of three plates of the same length, a 
central plate 72 and two side plates 73 and 74 beyond which the central 
plate 72 projects slightly (FIG. 2). This assembly formed by the three 
plates defines, in front of the pusher fingers 4, the forward part 70 of 
the table 7. The other part is coupled to the auxiliary carriage 8. 
For adjusting the width 1 of the table 7, as shown in FIG. 2 the central 
plate 72 is fixed directly to the auxiliary carriage 8 and each of the 
side plates 73, 74 is fixed through the intermediary of a support 75. The 
supports 75 are aligned with the auxiliary carriage 8. Both are threaded 
and receive a threaded rod 80 for adjusting the width of the table 7. This 
rod 80 has lefthand and righthand threads engaged in the corresponding 
threads in the supports 75 so as to secure simultaneous displacement of 
the side plates in opposite directions relative to the central plate and 
thus to adjust the width 1 of the table 7. 
The threaded rod 80 carries a bevel gear 81 coupled to a bevel gear 82 
carried by a drive transmission rod 83. This rod 83 is mounted by means of 
bearings on the auxiliary carriage and the carriage 6, through which it 
passes. The drive transmission rod 83 is coupled externally of the 
carriage 6 to a rod 85 operated by a square key; this coupling is effected 
by bevel gears 86 and 87 mounted on the rods 83 and 85, respectively 
(FIGS. 1 and 2). 
The table 7 is also adjustable in length forward of the carriage 6. In FIG. 
2 this dimension is denoted L. It is adjustable relative to a reference 
defined relative to the carriage 6 and consisting of the edge of the shelf 
64 fixed to the carriage 6. 
This adjustment of the dimension L is obtained by means of the side rods 65 
linking the carriage 6 and the auxiliary carriage 8. These rods are 
partially threaded. They are locked longitudinally into the walls of the 
carriage 6 and are inserted into threaded crossmembers 88 of the carriage 
8. They carry at their end external to the carriage 6 a toothed wheel 66 
for coupling them via a system 67 disposed between these toothed wheels 
66. One of them is also coupled at this end to a rod adapted to be 
operated by a square key, not visible but analogous to the rod 85, by a 
pair of bevel gears 68, 69 which they respectively carry. 
These adjustments of the length and width of the table eliminate any 
constraint with regard to the dimensions of the bundles to be placed in 
envelopes. 
The present invention has been described with reference to the embodiment 
shown. It is obvious that it is possible, without departing from the scope 
of the invention, to replace certain means by other equivalent means or to 
effect detail modifications. In particular, the plate 10 of the entry 
station may be equipped with a conveyor belt driven during the time that 
the abutment member 12 which closes off the passage for the bundle from 
the plate 10 to the table 7 is retracted. In this variant, the forward 
stroke and the return stroke of the drive carriage are consequently 
shorter than those indicated hereinabove, the pusher fingers simply 
underlying the abutment member 12 in the idle position of the carriage. 
These pusher fingers are operated in an analogous manner, however: they 
are retracted for the return stroke of the carriage and they are placed in 
the non-retracted position for the forward stroke of the carriage.