Abstract:
A right angle turn module having a first transport that transports side-by-side sheets in a first direction. Downstream of the first sheet transport a barrier is positioned to stop the sheets. A sensor device detects an arrival of the side-by-side sheets at the stop arrangement. Then, an actuated second sheet transport, triggered by the sensor device, is activated to transport the sheets serially in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction. In a preferred embodiment, a horizontal guide plate is positioned at a downstream end of the first sheet transport. With the guide plate thus positioned, a sheet traveling in the first direction and a sheet traveling in the second direction can temporarily be overlapped and a collision can be avoided. In a further preferred embodiment, the first transport further comprises overhead belts to urge the side-by-side pair of sheets in the first direction. The overhead belts may be tensioned so as to slip over a top surface of the side-by-side pair of sheets while urging the pair of sheets towards the stop arrangement.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to a right angle turn module for redirecting and reorienting sheets by ninety degrees.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Inserter systems, such as those applicable for use with the present invention, are typically used by organizations such as banks, insurance companies and utility companies for producing a large volume of specific mailings where the contents of each mail item are directed to a particular addressee. Also, other organizations, such as direct mailers, use inserts for producing a large volume of generic mailings where the contents of each mail item are substantially identical for each addressee. Examples of such inserter systems are the 8 series, 9 series, and APS™ inserter systems available from Pitney Bowes Inc. of Stamford Conn.  
         [0003]     In many respects, the typical inserter system resembles a manufacturing assembly line. Sheets and other raw materials (other sheets, enclosures, and envelopes) enter the inserter system as inputs. Then, a variety of modules or workstations in the inserter system work cooperatively to process the sheets until a finished mail piece is produced. The exact configuration of each inserter system depends upon the needs of each particular customer or installation.  
         [0004]     Typically, inserter systems prepare mail pieces by gathering collations of documents on a conveyor. The collations are then transported on the conveyor to an insertion station where they are automatically stuffed into envelopes. After being stuffed with the collations, the envelopes are removed from the insertion station for further processing. Such further processing may include automated closing and sealing the envelope flap, weighing the envelope, applying postage to the envelope, and finally sorting and stacking the envelopes.  
         [0005]     The input stages of a typical inserter system are depicted in  FIG. 1 . At the input end of the inserter system, rolls or stacks of continuous printed documents, called a “web,” are fed into the inserter system by a web feeder  100 . The continuous web must be separated into individual document pages. This separation is typically carried out by a web cutter  200  that cuts the continuous web into individual document pages. Downstream of the web cutter  200 , a right angle turn  300  may be used to reorient the documents, and/or to meet the inserter user&#39;s floor space requirements.  
         [0006]     The cut pages must subsequently be accumulated into collations corresponding to the multi-page documents to be included in individual mail pieces. This gathering of related document pages occurs in the accumulator module  400  where individual pages are stacked on top of one another.  
         [0007]     The control system for the inserter senses markings on the individual pages to determine what pages are to be collated together in the accumulator module  400 . In a typical inserter application, mail pieces may include varying number of pages to be accumulated. When a document accumulation is complete, then the accumulation is discharged as a unit from the accumulator  400 .  
         [0008]     Downstream of the accumulator  400 , a folder  500  typically folds the accumulation of documents to fit in the desired envelopes. To allow the same inserter system to be used with different sized mailings, the folder  500  can typically be adjusted to make different sized folds on different sized paper.  
         [0009]     Downstream of the folder  500 , a buffer transport  600  transports and stores accumulated and folded documents in series in preparation for transferring the documents to the synchronous inserter chassis  700 . By lining up a backlog of documents in the buffer  600 , the asynchronous nature of the upstream accumulator  400  will have less impact on the synchronous inserter chassis  700 . On the inserter chassis  700  inserts are added to the folded accumulation prior to insertion into an envelope at a later module.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     An improved right angle turn allows high speed, high throughput processing of sheets cut from a web in portrait orientation, and subsequently processed in landscape orientation. Existing modules do the job, but require large gaps between sheets entering from the cutter (portrait) and exiting the module (landscape) in order to avoid collisions. Other higher speed methods require two distinct paper paths to eliminate the jam condition. These two path methods tend to be costlier, more difficult to operate, and less reliable.  
         [0011]     The new design uses high processing speeds (about 300 inches per second (“ips”)), as well as high speed, two-up guillotine cutters. The proposed right angle turn module is capable of processing up to 72,000 sheets of 8.5″×11″ size per hour. In addition, the design merges two distinct side-by-side paper paths with a single set of drive elements to alleviate paper path collisions while allowing maximum throughput.  
         [0012]     In the improved design, a first sheet transport transports at least two side-by-side sheets in a first direction. Downstream of the first sheet transport, a barrier is positioned to stop the travel of the two side-by-side sheets in the first direction. A sensor device detects an arrival of the side-by-side sheets at the stop arrangement. Then, an actuated second sheet transport, triggered by the sensor device, is activated to transport the sheets serially in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction.  
         [0013]     In a preferred embodiment, a horizontal guide plate is positioned at a downstream end of the first sheet transport, in a path of at least the side-by-side sheet on a downstream side in the second direction. With the guide plate thus positioned, a sheet traveling in the first direction will pass over the guide plate on its way to the stop arrangement. Then, when the sheets are being transported serially in the second direction, the downstream serial sheet will pass over the guide plate in the second direction and the upstream serial sheet will pass under the guide plate in the second direction. In such an embodiment, a second pair of sheets may approach the barrier in the first direction, while the first pair is still leaving the right angle turn in the perpendicular direction. The horizontal guide plate allows an incoming sheet to pass on top of the guide plate, while an outgoing sheet is still underneath the guide plate. Thus collisions between incoming and outgoing sheets are avoided, and less spacing is required between sets of sheets. In essence, the thin guide plate separates one paper path into two in order to avoid collisions between successive pairs of sheets.  
         [0014]     In a further preferred embodiment, the first transport further comprises overhead belts positioned at least above the guide plate to urge the side-by-side pair of sheets in the first direction. The overhead belts may be tensioned so as to slip over a top surface of the side-by-side pair of sheets while urging the pair of sheets towards the stop arrangement. The overhead belts can operate continuously, and can operate to align serial sheets towards the stop, even while sheets are traveling perpendicular to the direction of the belts while traveling in the second direction. Also, the overhead flat belts operate to dissipate energy from the sheets as they collide with the wall.  
         [0015]     The right angle turn module may further include an upwardly biased plate proximal to the horizontal guide plate. A sheet traveling in the first direction will pass over the upwardly biased plate on its way to the stop arrangement. The biased plate provides an upward spring force to press the sheet with a normal force into contact with the overhead belts.  
         [0016]     Another preferred feature of the improved right angle turn is an overhead ceiling arrangement positioned above a paper path immediately upstream, in the first direction, of the stop arrangement barrier. The ceiling arrangement helps guide sheets transported by the first and second transports, and prevents the sheets from buckling when the sheets impact with the stop arrangement.  
         [0017]     The stop arrangement may include an adjustable back wall that is adjustable in the first direction to accommodate different sized sheets. Because the sensor device may stay in one location the timing for actuating the second transport is adjusted accordingly to account for the repositioning of the adjustable wall.  
         [0018]     Further details of the present invention are provided in the accompanying drawings, detailed description and claims. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]      FIG. 1  is a diagram of the input stages of an inserter system for use with the present invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 2  depicts a generic arrangement of a right angle turn in combination with an accumulator and folder.  
         [0021]      FIG. 3  is an isometric view of an improved right angle turn module, with some upper components removed in order to view the paper path.  
         [0022]      FIG. 4  is an isometric view of the right angle turn module shown in  FIG. 3  from a different angle.  
         [0023]      FIG. 5  is a top schematic view of the right angle turn module.  
         [0024]      FIGS. 6A-6B ,  7 A- 7 B,  8 A- 8 B and  9 A- 9 B are top and side views of the right angle turn module as sheets are transported therein.  
         [0025]      FIG. 10  is an isometric view of the right angle turn module with upper transport components depicted.  
         [0026]      FIG. 11  is a side view of the right angle turn module. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0027]      FIG. 2  depicts a flow of sheets through a generic right angle turn module  300 . In this example, the web cutter module  200  with cutter blade  201  cuts sheets A and B transported in a side-by-side “portrait” orientation. In right angle turn module  300  sheets A and B are stopped by a barrier  301  prior to be transported away at right angle. When being transported out of the right angle turn module  300 , the sheets are arranged serially and are considered to be traveling in a “landscape” orientation. The landscape sheets are then accumulated in the accumulator  400  and folded along their length in the folder  500 . This arrangement and folding of sheets shown in  FIG. 2  is popular for use with financial services statements, and is sometimes referred to as a “broker fold.” 
         [0028]      FIGS. 3, 4 ,  10  and  11  depict structural and transport components of the improved right angle turn module  1 . In  FIGS. 3 and 4 , an upper transport assembly  50  is not shown, so that the paper path can be more easily seen.  
         [0029]     Prior to processing in the right angle turn module  1 , a web of paper is loaded into the cutter module  200 . The cutter  200  slits, trims, and cuts the web into discrete sheets of appropriate size. For a two-up application, each cut yields two side-by-side sheets. Traveling into the right angle turn module  1  the sheets are traveling evenly with each other. For purposes of this description the sheets are differentiated based on their relative positions after the right angle turn. The first sheet to be processed downstream after the right angle turn is referred to as the “lead sheet.” The “trail sheet” is the other one of the pair that follows upstream of the lead sheet. In the examples and figures depicted herein, sheets are depicted as taking a right turn at the right angle turn module  1 . Accordingly, in these examples the right sheet will be the lead sheet and the left sheet will be the trail sheet. It will be understood that the invention is equally applicable to a left turn module.  
         [0030]     For purposes of this description a “nip” should be understood to comprise a pair of rollers that positively engages a sheet in order to drive it. A nip is typically made from a pair of rollers, and the nip will be identified herein by the corresponding reference numbers that identify the two rollers.  
         [0031]     As seen in  FIGS. 3, 4 ,  10  and  11 , an inclined deck  10  forming the input path of the right angle turn  1  is angled upward. Elastic flat belts  53  overrun and guide the sheets as they enter the adjustable nips  54 ,  60 . Two photocells  63  are positioned over each paper path just downstream of the adjustable nips  54 ,  60  to begin tracking of the sheets. The photocells  63  do not adjust with the nips, so for shorter sheets, transition will happen later (in time) than with longer sheets. The transition will take place at the same physical place for the leading edge, regardless of sheet length.  
         [0032]     A second set  55 ,  11  and third set  56 ,  13  of hard nips accept the paper from the adjustable nips  54 , 60  and transport it towards the stop arrangement  40  and barrier wall  42 . The flat belts  53  preferably run over the entrance nip  56 ,  13  and ends just short of the right angle transport arrangement  20 , which is before the stop arrangement  40 . The flat belts  53  provide the last drive force to the paper after it has left the entrance nip  56 , 13  and also removes energy from the paper once it has contacted the wall  42  in the stop arrangement  20 . The wall  42  is simply a flat stop for the paper to hit. The wall  42  is adjustable so that the downstream centerline of the machine can be maintained regardless of sheet length. Adjustment screws  43  are used for repositioning and fastening the wall  42  when it is moved to accommodate different sizes of paper.  
         [0033]     In the preferred embodiment, there is a ceiling over the paper when it hits the wall  42 . The ceiling may be comprised of several components including the flat belts  53 , the upper guide  30  of the right angle transport arrangement  20 , and an upper guide  41  of the stop arrangement. The ceiling prevents the paper from buckling, and transfers the impact energy back along the sheet where friction from the overrunning belts  53  can safely dissipate the energy. In addition, the belts  53  prevent the paper from bouncing back from the wall, and maintain a constant positive urge force on the sheets that keeps them registered against the wall  42 . Such registration is beneficial for downstream processing.  
         [0034]     The flat belts  53  are designed to slide over the surface of transported sheets, and do not positively engage sheets. Accordingly, the belts  53  are positioned directly over the sheet transport path, but do not press down hard enough to become fully frictionally engaged with the sheets.  
         [0035]     Since the flat belts  53  are only loosely positioned over the paper path, in some embodiments it may be desirable to bias the sheets against the belts  53 , so that greater urging force is achieved. In particular, in the region downstream of the entrance nip set  56 ,  13 , where there are no nips to drive the sheet towards the wall, an upwardly biased guide plate  18  may be positioned, as seen in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . Biased guide plate  18  is attached to the deck  15  at an upstream end, while the downstream portion is unattached and extends upward at an angle. When a sheet passes over biased guide plate  18  a normal force will be applied upward on the sheet towards the flat belts  53 , causing a greater forward urging force to be applied to the sheet.  
         [0036]     The right angle transport includes two sets of actuated roller assemblies,  20  and  20 ′, as seen in  FIG. 3 . Each actuated roller assembly  20 ,  20 ′ includes an actuator  20  to drive the raising and lowering of the actuated idler rollers  23 . Each actuator  21  will be a double acting air cylinder with integrated manifold and double solenoid valve assembly, capable of sufficiently low actuation time and duty cycle to allow the module to process at 72,000 sheets/hour. The actuators  21  cause a horizontal motion in actuator shafts  22 , which in turn cause the idler rollers  23  to pivot upward and downward around a pivot point.  
         [0037]     Two additional photocells  62  are positioned just before the wall  42 . These photocells  62  allow tracking of the incoming and outgoing sheets (at 90 degrees). The sensor  62  transitions also allow precise timing of the actuated idler rollers  23  of assemblies  20  and  20 ′. Incoming sheets pass under the raised actuated idler rollers  23  and hit the wall  42 . Shortly after contact with the wall  42 , the actuator  21  of the lead assembly  20  will squeeze the idler rollers  23  on top of driven constant velocity rollers  24  positioned slightly below the deck  15 . The lead sheet will then be transported towards the downstream module.  
         [0038]     The trail actuator  21  of assembly  20 ′ will do the same for the trail sheet, after a small delay to allow a gap between the sheets. The trail sheet will be transported under special thin metal guides  16  that serve to protect it from the overhead belts  53 , and also the next incoming lead sheet. This special guide  16  effectively separates a single paper path into two.  
         [0039]     Fixed hard nips  19 ,  24  are positioned just outside the maximum paper width envelope on the deck. Once the trail sheet has entered these fixed nips  19 ,  24 , the actuators  21 ,  21 ′ will open to allow the next set of incoming sheets.  
         [0040]     A single motor and drive train (not shown) will power the adjustable nips  54 ,  60 , entrance nips  56 ,  13 , and overhead belt rollers  51 ,  52  (all motion in the infeed direction). A second motor and drive train (not shown) will power the series of driven rollers  24  which include the actuated nips  23 ,  24  and exit nips  19 ,  24  (all motion in the outfeed direction).  
         [0041]     In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 , two guide plates  16  are positioned side by side before the stop arrangement  40 . The guide plate  16 ′, on the left, is intended to protect sheets arriving from an alternate source coming from transverse direction  70 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . Guide plates  16  and  16 ′ are respectively loosely secured to the deck  15  by dowel pin pairs next to lifting knobs  17  and  17 ′.  
         [0042]      FIG. 5  depicts an overhead schematic view of right angle turn module  1  to assist in understanding the operation of the guide plate  16 , and the manner in which it prevents collisions between incoming and outgoing sheets. Guide plate  16  includes a ramped portion  52  arranged to guide sheets over the guide plate  16  when arriving from deck  12 . On a left side of the guide plate  16 , an angled portion  51  is angled upward so that a right edge of a sheet passing to the left of the guide plate  16  can easily pass underneath the upward angled portion  51 , without catching on an edge of the guide plate  16 .  
         [0043]     As seen in  FIG. 6A  sheets A and B are being transported towards the barrier wall  42 . In this example sheet B is the lead sheet and sheet A is the trail sheet. Both sheets A and B are beyond the final nip set  56 ,  13 , and are sliding over the deck  15  and/or guide  16  while being urged towards the barrier wall by the overhead belts  53 . The side-view  FIG. 6B  shows sheet B passing over the guide plate  16 , while sheet A passes over deck  15 .  
         [0044]     In  FIG. 7A , sheets A and B are depicted just as they are contacting the barrier wall  42 . As seen from the side view,  FIG. 7B , the sheets have passed beneath the ceiling guide plate  30 , the actuated idler roller  23  and the stop arrangement ceiling  41 . Ceiling guide plate  30  includes slots  61  through which actuated rollers  23  are lowered and raised.  
         [0045]     Next, in  FIGS. 8A and 8B , the actuated idler rollers  23  have been pressed downward through slots  61 , thus forming nips between upper rollers  23  and lower rollers  24 . Sheets A and B are driven away at a right angle by the nips  23 ,  24 . As seen in  FIGS. 8A and 8B , the trail sheet A is guided to pass beneath the guide plate  16 , while the lead sheet B continues to slide to the right on top of it. Upward angled portion  51  helps to ensure that the trail sheet A passes under the guide plate  16 .  
         [0046]     In  FIGS. 9A and 9B  we see a second pair of sheets, C and D, arriving in the right angle turn module. It can be seen that the lead sheet D, of the second set of sheets, is positioned above the guide plate  16  while the trail sheet A, of the first set of sheets, is still passing under the guide plate  16 . Immediately after sheet A has passed out from the control of the actuated rollers  23 , the actuated rollers  23  are raised to allow the second set of sheets, C and D, to collide with the barrier wall  42 .  
         [0047]     Preferably, the guide plate  16  is made from a thin sheet of spring steel 0.01 inches thick. Being so thin, the plate  16  does not unduly weigh on the sheets passing underneath. Also, the thinness of the guide plate  16  insures that there is adequate room for sheets to pass over and under each other without unduly deflecting either of the sheets. For example, a thicker plate might require a more sever deflection in order for a sheet to pass over it, and thus create an opportunity for collision or jamming. The guide plate may range in thickness from 0.005 to 0.02 inches and maintain these same advantages. Also, a nickel coating on the steel can prevent wear and keep the guide plate smooth.  
         [0048]     The biased guide plate  18  is also preferably made from a thin sheet of spring steel of a similar thickness. A thin sheet of spring steel has been found to maintain sufficient upward spring force for the use in biased plate  18 .  
         [0049]     Although the invention has been described with respect to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and various other changes, omissions and deviations in the form and detail thereof may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.