Patent ID: 7866661

Claim:
A page buffer for holding, in queue, pages prepared by a printer and for subsequent processing by mailpiece inserter, comprising: pairs of vertically-aligned rollers defining a plurality of page stations therebetween, each pair being spaced-apart and defining a nip for driving the printed pages from one pair to another pair along a feed path, each page station defined by and between a first pair of rollers disposed downstream of an adjacent second pair; a drive means for independently driving the pairs of vertically-aligned rollers; a controller operative to control the drive means such that, in a first operating mode, the pairs cooperate to drive printed pages along the feed path, and in a second operating mode, at least one of the page stations causes the first pair to retain a leading edge portion of a printed page while the second pair drives and releases a trailing edge portion of the printed page, the printed page being buffered within the page station such that the trailing edge droops below the feed path in a predominantly vertical orientation.