Patent Publication Number: US-7588239-B2

Title: Transport and alignment system

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to apparatus for conveying stacked sheets of material, and more particularly, to an apparatus for aligning the peripheral edges of a multi-sheet stack while being conveyed on a transport deck such as those employed at used in high volume mail piece inserter systems. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Various apparatus are employed for arranging sheet material in a package suitable for use or sale in commerce. One such apparatus, useful for describing the teachings of the present invention, is a mail piece inserter system employed in the fabrication of high volume mail communications, e.g., mass mailings. Such mailpiece inserter systems are typically used by organizations such as banks, insurance companies and utility companies for producing a large volume of specific mail communications where the contents of each mailpiece are directed to a particular addressee. Also, other organizations, such as direct mailers, use mail inserters for producing mass mailings where the contents of each mail piece are substantially identical with respect to each addressee. Examples of inserter systems are the 8 series, 9 series, and APS™ inserter systems available from Pitney Bowes Inc. located in Stamford, Conn., USA. 
     In many respects, a typical inserter system resembles a manufacturing assembly line. Sheets and other raw materials (i.e., a web of paper stock, enclosures, and envelopes) enter the inserter system as inputs. Various modules or workstations in the inserter system work cooperatively to process the sheets until a finished mail piece is produced. The precise configuration of each inserter system depends upon the needs of each customer or installation. 
     Typically, inserter systems prepare mail pieces by arranging preprinted sheets of material into a collation, i.e., the content material of the mail piece, on a transport deck. The collation of preprinted sheet may continue to a chassis module where additional sheets or inserts may be added to a targeted audience of mail piece recipients. From the chassis module the fully developed collation may continue to a stitcher module where the sheet material may be stitched, stapled or otherwise bound. Subsequently, the bound collation is typically folded and placed into envelopes. Once filled, the envelopes are conveyed to yet other stations for further processing. That is, the envelopes may be closed, sealed, weighed, sorted and stacked. Additionally, the inserter may include a postage meter for applying postage indicia based upon the weight and/or size of the mail piece. 
     The mail piece collation may comprise several individualized documents, i.e., specific to a mail piece addressee, and/or one or more preprinted inserts which may be specifically tailored to the addressee. Generally, a barcode system is employed to command various sheet feeding mechanisms (i.e., one of the components of the chassis module mentioned in the preceding paragraph) to feed/add a particular insert to a collation. Of course, the mail piece collation may comprise any combination of sheet material whether they include personalized documents, preprinted inserts or a combination thereof. 
       FIGS. 1   a - 1   c  show the relevant components of a prior art chassis module/station  100  of an inserter system. The figures show the chassis module  100  conveying a sheet material  112  along a transport deck  114  (omitted from  FIG. 1   a  to reveal underlying components). The transport deck  114  includes a drive mechanism  116  for displacing the sheet material  112  as it slides over the transport deck  114 . In  FIG. 1   c,  the transport deck  114  includes a low friction surface  114 S having a pair of parallel grooves or slots  114 G formed therein. Riding in the grooves or through the slots  114 G are fingers  116 F which extend orthogonally from the surface  114 S of the deck  114 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1   a - 1   c,  the fingers  116 F are driven by a belt or chain  118   C1  which, in turn, wraps around a drive sprocket or gear  118 G. Furthermore, the fingers  116 F 1  are spaced in equal length increments while the fingers  116 F 2 , of adjacent chains  118   C1 ,  118   C2  are substantially aligned, i.e., laterally across the transport deck  114 . As such, a substantially rectangular region or pocket is established between the fingers  116 F 1 ,  116 F 2 . 
     Above the transport deck  114  are one or more feeder mechanisms  120 A,  120 B (two are shown for illustration purposes) which are capable of feeding inserts  122 , i.e., sheet material, to the transport deck  114 . The inserts  122  may be laid to build a collation  112  or may be added to the sheet material  112  (i.e., a partial collation) initiated upstream of the transport deck  114 . A controller (not shown) issues command signals to the feeder mechanisms  120 A.  120 B to appropriately time the feed sequence such that the inserts  122  are laid in the rectangular region  124  between the fingers  116 F 1 ,  116 F 2 . More specifically, as each pair of lateral fingers  116 F 1 ,  116 F 2  is driven within the grooves or slots  144 G, one edge of the sheet material  112  is engaged to slide the collation  112  along the transport deck  114 . As the sheet material  112  passes below the feeding mechanisms  120 A,  120 B, other sheets or inserts  122  are added. At the end of the transport deck  114 , the fingers  116 F 1 ,  116 F 2  drop beneath the transport deck  114  such that the collation (i.e., the combination of the sheet material and inserts  122 ) may proceed to subsequent processing stations. 
     While the drive mechanism  116  of the prior art provides rapid transport of collated sheet material  112 ,  122  and has proven to be effective and reliable, sheets or inserts  122  fed by the feeding mechanisms  120 A,  120 B can become misaligned in the rectangular space or pocket  124  provided between the fingers  116 F 1 ,  116 F 2 . That is, inasmuch as the pocket  124  is oversized to accept the sheets or inserts  122 , the inserts  122  can become misaligned due to a lack of positive registration surfaces on all sides of the collation  112 ,  122 . 
     Various mechanisms are employed to vary the pocket size, i.e., sometimes referred to as the “pitch”, between the chassis fingers. The ability to change pitch not only enables greater efficiency, i.e., a greater number of pockets for inserts, but also minimizes the misalignment of inserts being laid on a collation. Notwithstanding the ability to minimize pocket size, it will be appreciated that without positive restraint on all free edges of the collation, individual sheets or inserts will be misaligned. Consequently, prior art inserters commonly employ complex registration mechanisms or jogging devices to align the free edges of a collation. For example, inserters may employ a series of swing arms which pivot onto the transport deck, i.e., into the conveyance path of the collation. The swing arms engage and align the leading edge of a collation, i.e., the edge opposite the fingers. While the swing arms effectively maintain alignment of the collation, the mechanical complexity associated with the pivoting mechanism is a regular source of maintenance, jamming or failure. 
     In the absence of such swing arms, an inserter may employ other jogging mechanisms downstream of the chassis module to align the edges of the collation. That is, before subsequent processing, e.g., stitching or enveloping, the edges of the collation are aligned to: (i) ensure that stitching does not result in permanent misalignment of the collation or (ii) provide a smooth transition and/or snug fit within a mailing envelope. Such jogging mechanisms often employ a complex arrangement of solenoid activated stops which tap or “jog” each edge by a predetermined displacement with each motion of the stop. By jogging the stops several times, the edges of the collation are aligned. Like the swing arm mechanisms described above, the jogging mechanisms are highly complex and prone to increased maintenance, jamming and failure. 
     A need, therefore, exists for a transport and alignment system which eliminates mechanical complexity, enhances reliability and minimizes maintenance. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A transport and alignment system is provided for handling stacked sheet material on a support deck including first and second belts each having a portion thereof disposed parallel to the support deck. Each of the belts includes a plurality of spaced-apart fingers which engage the edges of the stacked sheet material and define a pocket therebetween. The transport and alignment system further includes a drive mechanism for independently driving the first and second belts to effect concurrent and relative motion of the fingers. Concurrent motion of the fingers transports the stacked sheet material along the support deck while relative motion of the fingers aligns opposed edges of the stacked sheets of material. The transport and alignment system is described in the context of a stitcher and chassis module of a mailpiece inserter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further details of the present invention are provided in the accompanying drawings, detailed description, and claims. 
         FIG. 1   a  is a perspective view of a prior art chassis drive mechanism employed in a mail piece inserter system. 
         FIG. 1   b  is a profile view of the prior art chassis drive mechanism shown in  FIG. 1   a  including feed mechanisms for building a sheet material collation. 
         FIG. 1   c  is a broken-away isometric view of the prior art chassis drive mechanism of  FIG. 1   a  to more clearly show chain driven fingers for conveying the sheet material collation along a transport deck. 
         FIG. 2  is an isometric view of a transport and alignment system according to the present invention including conveyor and registration chains capable of independent relative motion. 
         FIG. 2   a  is an enlarged view of the conveyor and registration chains shown in  FIG. 2   a  including a plurality of spaced-apart fingers for accepting, transporting and aligning opposed edges of a collation of sheet material. 
         FIG. 3  is a partially broken-away profile view of the transport and alignment system shown in  FIG. 2   a.    
         FIG. 4  is a plan view of a jogger disc used in combination with the spaced-apart fingers for aligning a side edge of the sheet material collation. 
         FIG. 4   a  is a profile view of the jogger disc shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 5   a  is a schematic top view of the transport and alignment system according to the present invention used in conjunction with a plurality of insert feeders of a mailpiece inserter system. 
         FIG. 5   b  is a schematic top view of the transport and alignment system wherein the transport and registration fingers are positioned out-of-phase to produce multiple pockets. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The invention will be described in the context of a mail piece inserter for processing mail communications and, more specifically, in the context of two modules thereof, i.e., a stitcher module and a chassis module. While the invention may be particularly useful for processing/producing mail communications, it should be appreciated that the transport and alignment system of the present invention is broadly applicable to any apparatus/system which requires the transport and alignment of stacked sheets of material. 
     In  FIGS. 2 ,  2   a  and  3 , a stitcher module  10  of a mailpiece inserter includes a transport and alignment system  20  according to the present invention. The transport and alignment system  20  includes a plurality of longitudinal supports  22  and ribs  22 R which are coupled, both longitudinally and laterally, to define substantially planar support deck  24 . In the described embodiment, three groups of longitudinal supports  22   a,    22   b  and  22   c  are shown for a total of seven (7), however, there may be a fewer or greater number of supports  22  (and associated ribs  22 R) depending upon the desired stiffness of the support deck  24 . Further, the size of the support deck  24  generally corresponds to the size and shape of a collation of sheet material  12  to be laid and processed thereon. 
     Interposing the supports  22   a,    22   b,    22   c,  are two (2) pairs of drive belts or chains  26 A,  26 B, each pair including a conveyor drive chain  26 C and a registration chain  26 R. In the context used herein, the terms “chain” and “belt” are used interchangeably in the specification and appended claims to mean any flexible chord, fiber matrix, cable, rope, or connecting links which may be frictionally or positively driven under tension by/over a drive mechanism. The conveyor and registrations chains  26 C,  26 R are driven by a mechanism including drive and idler wheels or sprockets  28 D,  28 I which are rotationally mounted to the support frame of the stitcher  10 . In the context used herein the terms “sprockets” or “wheels” are used interchangeably to mean any circular or cylindrical element or member capable of engaging, i.e., driving or supporting, a chain or belt. 
     To more clearly view the chains  26 C,  26 R and sprockets  28 D,  28 I,  FIGS. 2   a,  and  2   b  omit various longitudinal and lateral cross members of the support frame. While the conveyor and registration chains  26 C,  26 R may be disposed about as few as two (2) sprockets, i.e., one drive sprocket  28 DC or  28 DR and one idler sprocket  28 I, to form an elliptically-shaped chain configuration, the described embodiment includes four (4) sprockets, i.e., one drive sprocket,  28 DC or  28 DR, and three (3) idler sprockets  28 I to define a four-sided, polygon-shaped, chain configuration (best seen in  FIG. 3 ). Furthermore, the drive and idler sprockets  28 DC,  28 DR,  28 I are positioned such that a portion of each of the conveyor and registration chains  26 C,  26 R is parallel to and/or co-planar with the support deck  24 . That is, one leg or side of the polygon-shaped chains  26 C,  26 R is disposed parallel to the plane of the support deck  24 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the drive sprocket  28 DC of the conveyor drive chain  26 C shares a common rotational axis  28 A with an idler sprocket  28 IR of the registration chain  26 R and visa-versa. Furthermore, the drive sprocket  28 DC of the conveyor drive chain  26 C is disposed at one corner of the polygon-shaped chains  26 C,  26 R while the drive sprocket  28 DR of the registration chain  26 R is disposed at another corner. By sharing axes  28 A, the requirement for multiple support shafts is eliminated, thereby reducing mechanical complexity. 
     The drive mechanism  30  includes a pair of drive motors  30 C,  30 R and a controller  34 . The drive motors  30 C,  30 R are mounted to the support frame (not shown) of the stitcher  10  and drive the conveyor and registration chains  26 C,  26 R. More specifically, a first drive motor  30 C is rotationally coupled to each of the conveyor drive sprockets  28 DC and a second drive motor  30 R is rotationally coupled to each of the registration drive sprockets  28 DR. Each of the drive motors  30 C,  30 R may be independently driven, e.g., driven at different rotational speeds, to drive the conveyor and registration chains  26 C,  26 R at different operational speeds. The import of such speed variation will become apparent when discussing the operation of the inventive transport and alignment system  20 . 
     The conveyor drive and registration chains  26 C,  26 R each include a plurality of fingers  26 F extending orthogonally from the respective chain i.e., from the direction of motion. From another frame of reference, the fingers  26 F project through and are perpendicular to the plane of the support deck  24 . Each conveyor drive chain  26 C includes a plurality of transport fingers  26 FT, equally-spaced along its length, while each registration chain  26 R similarly includes a plurality of equally-spaced registration fingers  26 FR. The transport and registration fingers  26 FT,  26 FR are staggered, i.e., not aligned, to define a space or pocket therebetween, which, as will be more fully understood when discussing the system operation, will be determined based upon the size of the collated or stacked sheet material  12 . 
     Inasmuch as the described embodiment of the transport and alignment system  20  employs two pairs of chains  26 A,  26 B, the pocket between the transport and registration fingers  26 FT,  26 FR may be viewed as defining a four-sided rectangle or polygon. More specifically, the transport fingers  26 FT of the conveyor drive chains  26 C are laterally aligned, i.e., across the support deck  24 , to define one side of the polygon. The registration fingers  26 FR of the registration chains  26 R are laterally aligned to define an opposing side of the polygon. Finally, the adjacent sides of the polygon are defined by registration walls (not shown) which are parallel to, and outboard of, the chains  26 A,  26   b.    
     In operation, a controller  34  issues command signals to the drive motors  30 C,  30 R to position and regulate the speed of the conveyor drive and registration chains  26 C,  26 R. Initially, the conveyor drive and registration chains  26 C,  26 R are positioned such that the spacing between the transport and registration fingers  26 FT,  26 FR is substantially equal to a corresponding dimension of the collated or stacked sheet material  12 . The collated or stacked sheet material  12  is placed into the rectangular pocket PK defined by the fingers  26 FT,  26 FR of the chains  26 A,  26 B by sliding the sheet material  12  over ramped surfaces  22 RS of the longitudinal supports  22   a,    22   b,    22   c.  After the sheet material  12  is deposited, the fingers  26 FT,  26 FR are positioned by independently controlling the drive motors  30 C,  30 R to jog and align the opposed edges of the sheet material  12 . This first operating mode or step is performed by the controller  34  which commands at least one controlled displacement of either the conveyor drive or registrations chains  26 C or  26 R i.e., relative displacement of the chains  26 C,  26 R, to move the fingers  26 FT,  26 FR closer together. In the preferred embodiment, the controller  34  commands at least one controlled displacement of the conveyor drive chain  26 C to move the transport fingers  26 FT toward the registration fingers  26 FR. 
     Depending upon the thickness or number of sheets in the collation  12 , several oscillations of the fingers  26 FT,  26 FR may be commanded, drawing the fingers of each pair  26 FT,  26 FR closer with each oscillation. For example, the transport and registration fingers  26 FT,  26 FR may be displaced in progressively smaller increments. Initially, the fingers  26 FT,  26 FR may be displaced a first incremental length e.g., one quarter (¼″) inches, while subsequent motions may be commanded which are one half of the prior length, e.g., one eighth (⅛″) inches, one sixteenth ( 1/16″) inches and so on. 
     In  FIGS. 2 ,  4  and  4   a,  a pair of rotating discs  32   1 ,  32   2  engage and align the side edges  12 ES of the stacked sheet material  12 . Such alignment may occur concurrently with, or independent of, the alignment of the opposed leading and trailing edges  12 EL,  12 ET of the stacked sheet material, i.e., by the relative displacement of the fingers  26 FT,  26 FR. More specifically, the discs  321 ,  322  are driven about an axis  32 A which is orthogonal to the conveyor drive and registration chains  26 C,  26 R and parallel to the axes  28 A of the drive wheels  28 DR or  28 DC. Furthermore, at least one of the discs  32   1  includes a cam surface  38  (see  FIGS. 4 and 4   a ) defined by a ramped or sloping side surface  38 S. The sloping side surface  38 S may be further defined by the distance D from a point along the side surface  38 S to a bifurcating plane  32 P of the disc  32   1 . Moreover, the distance D of all points located at the same radial position R, e.g., same radii, increases or decreases. As such, when the collation  12  contacts the sloping side surface  38 S, the side edges  12 ES of the stacked sheet material  12  will be displaced inwardly as a consequence of disc rotation. After several revolutions of the disc  32   1 , the side edges  12 ES of the stacked sheet material  12  are jogged and aligned. 
     One noteworthy advantage of the jogging discs  32   1 ,  32   2  relates to the orientation of its rotational axis  32 A. That is, inasmuch as the rotational axis  32 A is orthogonal and proximal to the conveyor or registration chains  26 C,  26 R, a simple right angle chain drive (not shown) can be employed to take-off and drive power to the shaft  32 S of the discs  32   1 ,  32   2 . Additionally, to adjust the lateral position of the discs  32   1 ,  32   2  (and, consequently, the lateral dimension of the rectangular pocket PK), a simple set-screw (not shown) can be used to position the discs  32   1 ,  32   2  along the rotational axis  32 A. 
     Referring again to  FIGS. 2 ,  2   a  and  3 , following alignment of the leading, trailing and side edges  12 EL,  12 ET,  12 ES of the sheet material  12 , the conveyor drive and registration chains  26 C,  26 R are driven to position the stacked sheet material  12  over a stitching mechanism  14  (best seen in  FIG. 3 ). While this second operating mode or step may only require a short travel distance, the conveyor drive and registration chains  26 C,  26 R move concurrently to the correct position. As shown, the stitching mechanism  14  drives a staple or similar element (not shown) through the sheet material  12  to bind the stack. Following the stitching operation, the bound sheet material  12  is transported to subsequent processing stations. That is, the transport and registration fingers  26 FT,  26 FR move concurrently to transport the bound sheet material  12  along a feed path FP (see  FIG. 2 ) of the support deck  24 . Inasmuch as the sheet material  12  has been aligned and bound, no further jogging is required as it travels along the feed path FP. To prevent the bound sheet material  12  from moving to either side, registration walls (not shown) disposed parallel to the feed path FP may be employed to guide the sheet material  12  during transport. 
     Another embodiment of the transport and alignment system  20  is shown in  FIGS. 5   a  and  5   b  in the context of a chassis module  40 . Only the relevant portions of the chassis module  40  are shown to convey the teachings of the invention. As discussed in the background of the invention, the chassis module  40  of an inserter generally serves to add inserts or sheet material to an existing collation. Of course, the chassis module  40  can create a collation simply by placing inserts on a transport deck, but, more commonly, the chassis module  40  adds inserts to preprinted sheet material as it passes beneath various feeder mechanisms (not shown) disposed above the transport deck. In  FIG. 5   a,  a top view of the transport and alignment system  20  shows a plurality of laterally spaced conveyor and registration belts  46 C,  46 R. That is, rather than a conveyor and registration chain forming a working/adjacent pair, the belts  46 C,  46 R are equally spaced or separated in a lateral direction, i.e., across the chassis module  40  . Furthermore, in this embodiment, the substantially planar configuration of the belts, i.e., flat configuration, enables the belts to dually serve as a support/transport deck and the transport/alignment mechanism. Of course, the use of the belts  46 C,  46 R in this manner will depend upon the anticipated weight of the sheet material collation and/or the stiffness attainable by the belt construction, i.e., under tensile loading. 
     Inasmuch as the mechanical components of the drive mechanism, i.e., drive/idler sprockets and drive motor arrangement, can be the same or substantially similar to that previously described, no further/independent discussion of the drive mechanism is necessary with respect its adaptation to the chassis module  40 . The principle difference between the two embodiments relates to the control of the drive mechanism and/or control of the conveyor and registration belts  46 C,  46 R rather than to specific structural differences therebetween. 
     In operation, sheet material  12  passes beneath several feed mechanisms (not shown) and is disposed between fingers  46 FT,  46 FR of the conveyor and registration belts  46 C,  46 R. To transport the sheet material  12 , the conveyor and registration belts  46 C,  46 R move concurrently, i.e., together at the same speed, however, other control motions are superimposed to vary the spacing of the rectangular pocket PK between the fingers  46 FT,  46 FR. More specifically, a controller  56  drives motors  58 DR,  58 DC (shown schematically) of the conveyor and registration belts  46 C,  46 R so as to oscillate the transport and registration fingers  46 FT,  46 FR. That is, in addition to conveying the collation  12 C along a feed direction FD, the controller  56  issues commands to the drive motors  58 DR,  58 DC to cause the fingers  46 FT,  46 FR oscillate back and forth in the direction of arrow OS. As such, the fingers  46 FT,  46 FR move relative to each other to vary the longitudinal spacing or pocket size of the chassis module  40 . For example, to facilitate deposition of sheets or inserts  12 IS (shown as dashed lines) by one of the feed mechanisms, the controller  56  may increase the speed of the registration belt  46 R to open or increase the spacing of the pocket PK. As such, the increased pocket size provides an unobstructed area for laying sheets or inserts onto the collation  12 C. 
     Before passing beneath another of the feed mechanisms, the controller  56  may increase the speed of the conveyor belt  46 C relative to the registration belt  46 R, or alternatively, decrease the speed of the registration belt  46 R relative to the conveyor belt  46 C, to close or decrease the spacing of the pocket PK. By reducing the pocket size, the fingers  46 FT,  46 FR jog the leading and trailing edges  12 EL,  12 ET to align the sheets of the collation  12 C. This cycle may repeat for as many feed mechanisms as the chassis module  40  contains. Alternatively, the pocket spacing may remain one dimension, e.g., oversized, relative to the corresponding dimension of the collation  12 C until all additional sheets or inserts  12 IS are deposited by the feed mechanisms. After depositing all of the sheets or inserts  12 IS, the relative spacing between the fingers  46 FT,  46 FR may close to jog and align the leading and trailing edges  12 EL,  12 ET of all collations  12 C on the transport deck. In this embodiment, registration walls  58  may be disposed along each side of the transport deck  44  to guide and align the side edges  12 SE of the collation  12 C. 
     While accurate control and alignment of the sheet material  12  is generally desirable for any material handling operation, the independent control of the conveyor and registration belts enables the chassis module  40  to be operated in different modes. Without distinguishing the function of the belts  46 C,  46 R as being one used for transport or registration, the relative position of the belts  46 C,  46 R may be phased to produce additional pockets to handle additional collations  12 C. As such, increased efficiency may be achieved. For example, by positioning the fingers  46 FR of a first pair of belts, e.g., the innermost belts  46 R, midway between the fingers  46 FT-A,  46 FT-B of a second pair of belts, e.g., the outermost belts  46 C, two (2) pockets PK- 1 , PK- 2  may be created in place of a single pocket. That is, in one operational mode, a large pocket PK may be required to handle sheet material of a first dimension whereas, in a second operational mode, a smaller pockets PK- 1 , PK- 2 , e.g., ½ the size of the first, may be used to handle or accept sheet material of a second dimension. Consequently, by shifting or phasing the relative position of the fingers, a greater or smaller number of pockets may be produced. In this embodiment, the fingers dually function to convey and align the sheet material, albeit the requirement for jogging or oscillatory motion may no longer be necessary or desired. 
     In summary, the transport and alignment system  20  of the present invention provides controlled displacement of the conveyor and registration chains/belts to transport sheet material while additionally or concurrently aligning the edges thereof. Further, the transport and alignment system minimizes the number of moving parts and/or the need for independent mechanisms, e.g., prior art swing arms, solenoid activated stops, or dedicated jogging stations, to align the edges of a sheet material. The invention provides additional functionality by uniquely controlling common components, i.e., chains/belts typically employed in transport mechanisms. Consequently, the invention may be implemented and practiced with relatively minor structural modification to pre-existing transport mechanisms and/or equipment. 
     Additionally, the transport and alignment system  20  of the present invention facilitates the initial set-up and dimension requirements for the sheet material pocket. Simple control inputs can be made by the controllers  36 ,  56  to establish the initial dimensions of the pocket. More specifically, the controllers  36 ,  56  may be programmed, through software inputs, to establish or change the relative spacing between the transport and registration fingers. In contrast, the prior art transport and alignment systems typically rely upon laborious/painstaking adjustments of various components e.g., the pusher fingers and stop mechanisms to establish or vary the pocket size. Each time that sheet material of different dimensions is processed, an operator is required to manually set or move the position of pusher fingers, swing arms and stops. The present invention, on the other hand, eliminates these labor requirements by programming/software modifications. 
     Along the same lines discussed in the preceding paragraph, the transport and alignment system facilitates multiple operating modes. That is, by varying the relative position of the fingers, multiple pockets for accepting sheet material may be created. Finally, the transport and alignment system provides for nearly infinite adjustment of the pocket size. Whereas, in the prior art, finite or incremental adjustment of the pocket size is made possible through manual adjustment, the present invention enables fine differential adjustments of the position and/or speed of the belts for virtually infinite adjustment of the pocket size. Furthermore, such adjustments can be made through software algorithms/programming logic run and controlled by the motor controllers. 
     While the transport and alignment system has been described in the context of a stitcher and chassis module of a mailpiece inserter system, it will be appreciated that the transport and alignment system is applicable to any sheet material handling system. Furthermore, while two pairs of conveyor drive and registrations chains/belts are shown, a single pair of chains/belts may be employed depending upon the alignment capability of the transport and registration fingers. Conversely, a greater number of paired chains/belts may be employed if, for example, larger size sheet material is handled. Furthermore, while the transport and registrations fingers are shown to be equally-spaced along each chain or belt, the spacing between each finger may vary depending upon the spacing of the feeding mechanisms and/or the timing established for laying sheet material. Moreover, while a rectangular shaped chain/belt configuration is shown, the configuration may have any shape provided that a portion of the chain/belt is substantially parallel to the support deck. Hence, an elliptical, triangular, trapezoidal or other polygon shape may be employed. 
     It is to be understood that the present invention is not to be considered as limited to the specific embodiments described above and shown in the accompanying drawings. The illustrations merely show the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the invention, and which is susceptible to such changes as may be obvious to one skilled in the art. The invention is intended to cover all such variations, modifications and equivalents thereof as may be deemed to be within the scope of the claims appended hereto.