Patent Publication Number: US-2005136182-A1

Title: Method of folding and stacking scented paper used for advertisement enclosures

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
      The present invention relates a method for creating folded scented inserts for inclusion in mail pieces created in a high speed mail processing and inserting system.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      It is well known in automated mail production systems to include advertising inserts into individualized mail pieces. It is also known that such advertising inserts may include advertisements for perfumes or cologne, and that such advertisements may be comprised of folded sheets that release a sample of advertised scent when the folded portion opened.  
      Inserter systems such as those applicable for use with the present invention, may include machines such as the 8 series, 9 series, and APS™ inserter systems available from Pitney Bowes Inc. of Stamford Conn.  
      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 plurality of different 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.  
      As seen in  FIG. 1 , a typical inserter system prepares mail pieces by gathering collations  13  of documents on a conveyor  15 . Above the conveyor  15 , feeders  1  feed documents onto the conveyor to form the collations  13 . Feeders  1  hold a stack  10  of inserts. The stack  10  is supported by a guide  11  and a feeding mechanism  12 . Further details of an exemplary feeder  1  are provided in co-pending U.S. Patent Application No. 10/004242 filed Oct. 25, 2001, titled REMOVABLE SHEET FEEDER WITH JAM CLEARANCE FOR USE IN AN ENVELOPE INSERTING MACHINE, assigned to the assignee of the present application, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.  
      The collations  13  are then transported on the conveyor  15  to an insertion station  16  where they are automatically stuffed into envelopes. After being stuffed with the collations  13 , the envelopes are removed from the insertion station  16  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.  
      A prior art method of preparing folded scented inserts is depicted in  FIG. 2 . Parallel folds  22 , at opposite sides of the insert  20 , are formed to enclose the scented portions  23 . The entire insert  20  is also typically folded in half along fold  21 , parallel to the folds  22  for the scented portion. After the insert  20  is folded in half, the portion near fold  21  has a thickness of two times the sheet thickness. However, at the opposite side of insert  20 , having the folded scented portions  23 , the total thickness of the insert is four times the sheet thickness.  
      The consequences of one side of the insert  20  being twice as thick as the other are depicted in stack  24  of  FIG. 2 . When inserts  20  are stacked, the stacking will be uneven, and the side of the stack having the scented portions will tend to be higher. Thus, the stack  24  will be more likely to lean and tip over. A traditional method for solving this problem is to use small stacks  24 , or to provide additional framework on feeder  10  to hold up a lopsided stack  24 .  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      It has been found that prior art stacks  24  of inserts  20  are difficult to manage, and smaller stacks do not work well with current high speed equipment because they require frequent reloading.  
      Accordingly, the present invention provides an improved method for creating scented advertisement inserts from rectangular sheets for inclusion as inserts into mail pieces. The rectangular sheets have left, right, top and bottom edges. A first step is to apply a scented adhesion to a left strip along the left side of the sheets and to a right strip along the right side of the sheets. A first fold is made along the left side of the sheets parallel to the left edge. The first fold covers the left strip having the scented adhesion. A second fold is made along the right side of the sheets parallel to the right edge, the second fold covering the right strip having the scented adhesion. After making the first and second folds, the preferred technique is to fold the sheets substantially in half in a direction perpendicular to the first and second folds.  
      Thus the sheets may be easily stacked on one another in preparation for feeding as inserts into mail pieces. In this embodiment, the inserts have the same thickness at all four corners, and will tend to stack in a more even and manageable fashion. After being stacked the inserts may then be placed in an automated feeding device and can be fed onto collations in an inserting system.  
      Further details of the present invention are provided in the accompanying drawings, detailed description, and claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  depicts a system for feeding inserts onto collations for use with the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a prior art method for preparing folded scented inserts.  
       FIG. 3  depicts a preferred embodiment for preparing folded scented inserts in accordance with the present invention.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      A preferred embodiment for preparing folded scented inserts  30  is depicted in  FIG. 3 . In the preferred embodiment, two scented portions  33  are created along the left and right portions of the sheet. Strips of scented adhesive material are places on the left and right sides of the sheet using known techniques.  
      Parallel folds  31  are made from the top to bottom of the sheet  30  to enclose the scented portions  33 . After folds  31  are formed on the left and right sides, the sheet  30  is folded in half along fold line  32 , perpendicular to the folds  31 , and enclosing the scented portions  33 . Mechanisms and techniques for making folds  31  and  32  are well known in the art. Exemplary folding techniques may include known buckle-folding and/or knife-folding technology.  
      After the insert  30  has been folded in half, it may then be stacked in a stack  34  in preparation for placement in an automated feeding device  10 . Because stack  34  has the same thickness of four sheets at all four corners, it will tend to stack evenly. Because it stacks evenly, it is more manageable, and larger stacks may be more easily formed, and fed from a high speed feeding device  10 .  
      When stack  34  is placed in an automated feeder  10 , guide  11  supports the stack. For optimal feeding, it is preferred that fold  32  be the leading edge as feeding mechanism  12  feeds the bottom insert  30  from the bottom of the stack onto a collation  13  on the conveyor  15  below.  
      Although the invention has been described with respect to a preferred embodiment 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.