U.S. patent application number 13/816360 was filed with the patent office on 2013-07-11 for sealed letter preparing apparatus.
The applicant listed for this patent is Kouichiro Iida, Taku Naitou, Yoshihiro Noguchi, Tadayuki Wakatabi. Invention is credited to Kouichiro Iida, Taku Naitou, Yoshihiro Noguchi, Tadayuki Wakatabi.
Application Number | 20130174515 13/816360 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 45831295 |
Filed Date | 2013-07-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130174515 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wakatabi; Tadayuki ; et
al. |
July 11, 2013 |
SEALED LETTER PREPARING APPARATUS
Abstract
A sealed letter preparing apparatus 1 includes a printing unit 2
that performs printing on an envelope and an enclosure alternately,
and an enclosing-sealing unit 3. The enclosing-sealing unit is
configured to carry the printed envelope by the first carrier
passage 10, carry the printed sheet as the enclosure by the second
carrier passage 20, enclose the enclosure in the envelope by the
envelope opening-enclosing means 60 at an intersection position of
the both passages, and seal the envelope by a sealing means 70 so
as to discharge the envelope into a discharge stocker 44. The
sealed letter preparing apparatus has a simple and compact
structure with less incidence of enclosing error, which is suitable
for preparation of one-to-one direct mail.
Inventors: |
Wakatabi; Tadayuki; (Tokyo,
JP) ; Iida; Kouichiro; (Tokyo, JP) ; Noguchi;
Yoshihiro; (Tokyo, JP) ; Naitou; Taku; (Tokyo,
JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Wakatabi; Tadayuki
Iida; Kouichiro
Noguchi; Yoshihiro
Naitou; Taku |
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo
Tokyo |
|
JP
JP
JP
JP |
|
|
Family ID: |
45831295 |
Appl. No.: |
13/816360 |
Filed: |
April 1, 2011 |
PCT Filed: |
April 1, 2011 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/JP2011/058856 |
371 Date: |
March 11, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
53/284.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G03G 15/6588 20130101;
B43M 5/042 20130101; G03G 15/6594 20130101; B43M 3/045 20130101;
B65H 45/14 20130101; B65B 5/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
53/284.3 |
International
Class: |
B65B 5/02 20060101
B65B005/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 17, 2010 |
JP |
2010-209546 |
Claims
1. A sealed letter preparing apparatus which performs printing on
an envelope and an enclosure, and enclosing the enclosure in the
envelope so as to be sealed to form a sealed letter, comprising: a
printing unit that performs printing on the envelope and the
enclosure, respectively for each of the sealed letters to be
prepared; a first carrier passage that carries the envelope printed
by the printing unit; a second carrier passage that carries the
enclosure printed by the printing unit; and an enclosing-sealing
means unit located at a junction of the first passage and the
second passage, which performs sealing after enclosing the
enclosure in the envelope.
2. The sealed letter preparing apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the envelope is formed by folding a sheet to be formed as
the envelope; the first carrier passage is provided with first
folding means that folds the sheet to be formed as the envelope
into a shape of the envelope; and the enclosing-sealing means
performs sealing after enclosing the enclosure in the sheet folded
by the first folding means to be formed as the envelope.
3. The sealed letter preparing apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein the enclosure is formed by folding the sheet to be formed
as the enclosure; the second carrier passage is provided with an
alignment member that holds the sheet to be formed as the
enclosure, and second folding means that folds the sheet to be
formed as the enclosure held at the alignment member; and the
enclosing-sealing means performs sealing after enclosing the sheet
to be formed as the enclosure, which has been folded by the second
folding means in the envelope.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a sealed letter preparing
apparatus capable of automatically performing a series of
operations including printing an envelope or a paper to be formed
as the envelope, and a sheet to be enclosed as an enclosure as
needed, enclosing the required enclosure in the envelope, and
sealing the envelope.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In the case where DM (direct mail) is prepared by a company
sales department and a retailer, it is often the case of
outsourcing printing of the sheet as the enclosure from the
printing company, and performing the printing of the address on the
envelope by its own printing machine, that is, printing of the
sheet and printing of the envelope are performed through separate
printing means. In such a case, generally, the printed paper is
enclosed in the envelope using a desk type enclosing-sealing
machine with a relatively simple structure or manually so that the
envelope is sealed. There is an apparatus that automatically
processes a series of operations of printing, enclosing and
sealing. However, such apparatus is costly and requires a wide
installation area. It has therefore been difficult for the user who
does not frequently need preparation of the DM to purchase such
apparatus.
[0003] Patent Literature 1 discloses the enclosing-sealing machine
usable as the desk type enclosing-sealing machine as described
above which is provided with sheet folding means configured to fold
the sheet to be enclosed in the envelope. This machine includes an
automatic sheet feeding unit that automatically feeds the uppermost
sheet from a pile of provided sheets to the sheet folding means,
and manual sheet feeding means that feeds a manually supplied sheet
to the sheet folding means, and is configured to select and drive
the sheet feed mode from the automatic sheet feed mode, manual
sheet supply mode, and a mix mode that allows the sheet feed from
the automatic sheet feeding unit and the manual sheet feeding means
simultaneously.
[0004] When using the desk type enclosing-sealing machine as
disclosed in Patent Literature 1 for the purpose of preparing
one-to-one direct mail having the content to be printed on the
enclosure sheet different for each envelope, it has been necessary
to accord the order of piling the enclosure sheets to be set on the
paper feed base with the order of piling the envelopes to be set on
the envelope feed base. In the case where the sheets and envelopes
have been printed in the different places through different means,
for example, by outsourcing the printing of the enclosure while
printing the envelopes in-house, difference in such conditions as
the output order and insertion of interleaf may occur. Therefore,
sufficient confirmation is required for preventing an enclosing
error when setting them on the sheet feeder base of the desk type
enclosing-sealing machine. Meanwhile, as for the manual enclosing
operation, it may require man-hours to prevent an enclosing error,
resulting in prolonged processing time.
[0005] The present invention has been made with regard to the
aforementioned problem, and is intended to provide a sealed letter
preparing apparatus configured to have the envelope (or sheet to be
formed as the envelope), and the necessary enclosure sheet (which
is not necessarily required) printed thereon, enclose the enclosure
in the envelope, and seal the envelope for formation of the sealed
letter. The apparatus with simple and compact structure hardly
causes the problem of enclosing error, such as enclosing failure
and enclosing of wrong enclosure. This allows users to prepare the
sealed letter efficiently by themselves, especially suitable for
preparation of one-to-one direct mail.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] A sealed letter preparing apparatus as claim 1 performs
printing on an envelope and an enclosure, and enclosing the
enclosure in the envelope so as to be sealed to form a sealed
letter, which includes a printing unit that performs printing on
the envelope and the enclosure, respectively for each of the sealed
letters to be prepared, a first carrier passage that carries the
envelope printed by the printing unit, a second carrier passage
that carries the enclosure printed by the printing unit, and
enclosing-sealing means located at a position where the first
passage and the second passage join, which performs sealing after
enclosing the enclosure in the envelope.
[0007] In the sealed letter preparing apparatus as claim 2
according to claim 1, the envelope is formed by folding a sheet to
be formed as the envelope, the first carrier passage is provided
with first folding means that folds the sheet to be formed as the
envelope into a shape of the envelope, and the enclosing-sealing
means performs sealing after enclosing the enclosure in the sheet
folded by the first folding means to be formed as the envelope.
[0008] In the sealed letter preparing apparatus as claim 3
according to claim 1 or 2, the enclosure is formed by folding the
sheet to be formed as the enclosure, the second carrier passage is
provided with an alignment member that holds the sheet to be formed
as the enclosure, and second folding means that folds the sheet to
be formed as the enclosure held at the alignment member, and the
enclosing-sealing means performs sealing after enclosing the sheet
to be formed as the enclosure, which has been folded by the second
folding means in the envelope.
[0009] The term envelope used herein refers not only to the
pouch-like envelope in the ordinary sense but also to the sheet
before it is folded and formed into the pouch-like envelope. The
envelope in the ordinary sense may be commercial or ready-made
article, or self-produced. In the present invention, the enclosure
is enclosed in the envelope as needed. Therefore, in the case where
no enclosure is required to be enclosed in the envelope for
sealing, the resultant sealed letter without enclosure may be
regarded as the sealed letter to be formed by the sealed letter
preparing apparatus according to the present invention. According
to the present invention, the sheet as the enclosure does not have
to be folded to be enclosed in the envelope. The sheet may be
enclosed in the envelope as it is printed.
[0010] The sealed letter preparing apparatus according to claim 1
is configured to allow a common printing unit for printing both the
envelope and the enclosure to perform printing on the envelope and
the enclosure alternately for each of the sealed letters to be
prepared. The printed envelope is carried on a dedicated first
carrier passage, and the printed enclosure is carried on a
dedicated second carrier passage so that the enclosing-sealing
means provided at a junction of those carrier passages makes a pair
of the envelope and the enclosure without error, encloses the
enclosure in the envelope, and seals the envelope for formation of
the sealed letter. The apparatus is suitable for preparation of
one-to-one direct mail having the enclosure different for the
respective envelopes. Especially when preparing the sealed letter
using the ready-made envelope, the apparatus ensures to perform a
series of operations including printing the envelope and the
enclosure, enclosing the enclosure, and sealing the envelope
full-automatically with no errors.
[0011] The sealed letter preparing apparatus according to claim 2
is configured so that the common printing unit for printing both
the envelope and the enclosure performs printing on the sheet to be
folded into the envelope and the corresponding enclosure
alternately for each of the sealed letters to be prepared and
discharged. The thus printed sheet to be formed as the envelope is
carried on the dedicated first carrier passage while being folded
by first folding means so as to receive the enclosure. Meanwhile,
the printed enclosure is carried on the dedicated second carrier
passage. The enclosing-sealing means provided at the junction of
both the carrier passages makes an alignment of the sheet as the
envelope allowed to receive the enclosure with the enclosure
without errors. The sheet to be formed as the envelope is further
carried while being folded to finish forming the envelope, and the
enclosure is enclosed. The envelope is sealed to prepare the sealed
letter. It is suitable for preparation of one-to-one direct mail
having the enclosure different for each of the envelopes, and makes
it possible to perform a series of complicated process steps
including operations of printing the sheet to be formed as the
envelope and the enclosure, folding the sheet into the envelope
while having the enclosure enclosed therein, and sealing the
envelope full-automatically with no errors.
[0012] The sealed letter preparing apparatus according to claim 3
is configured so that the common printing unit for printing both
the envelope and the enclosure performs printing on the envelope or
the sheet to be folded into the envelope, and the sheet as
corresponding enclosure alternately for each of the sealed letters
to be prepared and discharged. Then the printed envelope or the
sheet to be formed as the envelope is carried on the dedicated
first carrier passage. The sheet to be formed as the envelope is
folded by the first folding means into the shape to allow reception
of the enclosure. The printed enclosure sheet is carried on the
dedicated second carrier passage so as to be held at the alignment
member, and further folded by the second folding means. The
enclosing-sealing means provided at the junction of both the
carrier passages makes an alignment of the envelope with the
enclosure with no errors, encloses the enclosure in the envelope,
and seals the envelope to prepare the sealed letter. It is
therefore suitable for preparation of one-to-one direct mail having
the enclosure different for each of the respective envelopes, and
makes it possible to perform a series of complicated processing
steps of operations including printing the envelope or the sheet to
be formed as the envelope, and the sheet to be formed as the
enclosure, enclosing the enclosure formed by folding the sheet in
the envelope, and sealing the envelope full-automatically with no
errors.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a structure of a
sealed letter preparing apparatus according to a first embodiment,
indicating a flow of an envelope in the apparatus by arrows.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a structure of the
sealed letter preparing apparatus according to the first
embodiment, indicating a flow of an enclosure in the apparatus by
arrows.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a front view of folding means for folding the
enclosure in the sealed letter preparing apparatus according to the
first embodiment.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a front view of the folding means for folding the
enclosure as a modified example in the sealed letter preparing
apparatus according to the first embodiment.
[0017] FIG. 5 represents process steps of folding the enclosure in
three inward using the folding means in the sealed letter preparing
apparatus according to the first embodiment shown by FIGS. 5(a) to
5(d).
[0018] FIG. 6 represents process steps of folding the enclosure in
three inward using the folding means in the sealed letter preparing
apparatus according to the first embodiment shown by FIGS. 6(a) to
6(c).
[0019] FIG. 7 represents the sealed letter preparing apparatus
according to the first embodiment, wherein FIG. 7(a) shows that the
enclosure is folded in Z-shape by the folding means, and FIG. 7(b)
shows that the enclosure is folded in four by the folding
means.
[0020] FIG. 8 represents process steps of enclosing the enclosure
in the envelope performed by the enclosing-sealing unit in the
sealed letter preparing apparatus according to the first embodiment
shown by FIGS. 8(a) to 8(e).
[0021] FIG. 9 represents process steps of enclosing the enclosure
in the envelope performed by the enclosing-sealing unit in the
sealed letter preparing apparatus according to the first embodiment
shown by FIGS. 9(a) to 9(d).
[0022] FIG. 10 represents process steps of sealing the envelope
performed by the enclosing-sealing unit in the sealed letter
preparing apparatus according to the first embodiment shown by
FIGS. 10(a) to 10(c).
[0023] FIG. 11 is a schematic sectional view of a structure of the
sealed letter preparing apparatus according to the first
embodiment, indicating process steps of sealing the envelope and
discharging the sealed envelope in the apparatus.
[0024] FIG. 12 is a schematic sectional view of a structure of a
sealed letter preparing apparatus according to a second embodiment,
indicating a flow of forming the envelope in the apparatus by
arrows.
[0025] FIG. 13 is a schematic sectional view of a structure of the
sealed letter preparing apparatus according to the second
embodiment, indicating a flow of the enclosure in the apparatus by
arrows.
[0026] FIG. 14 is a schematic sectional view of a structure of the
sealed letter preparing apparatus according to the second
embodiment, indicating process steps of enclosing and sealing
operations and discharging the sealed envelope in the
apparatus.
MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0027] A sealed letter preparing apparatus according to an
embodiment of the present invention to be described below is
configured to perform continuous printing on a ready-made envelope
or the sheet to be folded into the envelope, and the sheet to be
formed as the enclosure (equal to 0 or more) for each of the sealed
letters to be prepared in the most time-efficient order, subject
them to required folding while carrying on different carrier
passages, respectively, finally join them so that the enclosure is
enclosed in the envelope, close the flap of the envelope to form
the sealed letter, and place the sealed letters on the apparatus in
alignment so as to be discharged.
[0028] The first embodiment uses the ready-made envelope, and the
second embodiment prepares the envelope by folding the sheet so as
to be used. In the first embodiment, the fold defined by the
envelope body and the flap is a center portion at which the flap is
opened and closed, which is shown as a black circle (FIGS. 1, 20
and 12) or a white circle (FIGS. 8 to 10) for the sake of
convenience in the drawings. The moving passage of the sheet is
indicated by arrows so as to correspond to the respective
descriptions of the embodiments.
1. First Embodiment
FIGS. 1 to 11
[0029] A sealed letter preparing apparatus 1 according to a first
embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is configured to allow a common printing
unit 2 to perform required printing on an envelope that has been
already formed to have a pouch-like shape (for example, ready-made
envelope and the like) and a sheet to be formed as the enclosure,
the number of which is equal to 0 or more for each of the sealed
letters to be formed in the appropriate order, carry them on the
carrier passages as separate lines while subjecting the enclosure,
if any, to the required folding on the carrier passage, finally
join them at the enclosing-sealing means, enclose the enclosure in
the envelope, seal the envelope, and discharge them in alignment on
the apparatus.
[0030] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the sealed letter preparing
apparatus 1 is provided with the printing unit 2 that performs
printing on the sheets to be formed as the envelope and the
enclosure, and discharges them. The printing unit 2 includes a
plurality of paper feed bases P (P1 to P4) capable of storing a
plurality of kinds of printed objects (sheet of paper and envelope)
inside or at the side of a housing 4 that stores the respective
components of the apparatus. In this embodiment, the paper feed
base P1 attached to the side surface of the housing stores the
envelopes, and the paper feed bases P2 to P4 provided inside the
housing store paper sheets to be formed as enclosures.
[0031] The sheet fed from the paper feed base P is supplied from an
introduction passage to a loop-like carrier passage 5, and carried
to the printing means located at a predetermined interval directed
downward along the lower half of the carrier passage so as to form
an image. In this embodiment, four ink jet devices C, K, M and Y
are employed as the printing means for discharging color inks of
cyan, black, magenta, and yellow, respectively.
[0032] The loop-like carrier passage 5 is provided with a first
discharge passage 6 branched from a portion adjacent to the
printing means at the downstream side, which discharges the sheet
outside the loop in a substantially horizontal direction. The
loop-like carrier passage 5 is provided with a second discharge
passage 7 branched from the upper half part, which discharges the
sheet outside the loop. A switch back passage 8 is provided as a
branch between the second discharge passage 7 and the introduction
passage from the paper feed base P. The switch back passage 8
reverses a path of the sheet that has been carried on the carrier
passage 5 and received so as to be returned to the carrier passage
5 for the purpose of reversing top and bottom surfaces of the sheet
during carriage on the carrier passage 5. The color duplex printing
for forming color images on both surfaces of the sheet through the
ink jet devices C, K, M and Y may be performed by passing the sheet
on the carrier passage 5 twice while reversing the top and bottom
surfaces using the switch back passage 8.
[0033] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an enclosing-sealing unit 3 is
provided adjacent to the printing unit 2, which receives and
processes the envelope and sheet fed from the first discharge
passage 6 of the printing unit 2, encloses the sheet in the
envelope, and seals the envelope.
[0034] As shown in FIG. 1, a first carrier passage 10 for carrying
the envelope printed by the printing unit 2 is provided inside a
housing 9 of the enclosing-sealing unit 3. The first carrier
passage 10 includes one passage 11 that feeds the envelope that has
been horizontally fed from the first discharge passage 6 of the
printing unit 2 along the carrier direction diagonally upward, an
envelope stocker 12 diagonally directed in substantially parallel
with the passage 11 provided on the upper surface of the housing 9
for temporarily storing the envelopes fed from the passage 11, and
another passage 13 that takes the envelope from the envelope
stocker 12 into the housing 9 to feed it diagonally downward.
[0035] At a terminal end of the other passage 13, envelope
inversion means 50, and envelope opening-enclosing means 60 and
sealing means 70 which are functioning as the enclosing-sealing
means are provided. Structures and operations of those elements
will be described later.
[0036] Referring to FIG. 2, a second carrier passage 20 for
carrying the sheet that has been printed by the printing unit 2 is
provided inside the housing 9 of the enclosing-sealing unit 3. The
second carrier passage 20 is located below the first carrier
passage 10, and has one passage 21 that feeds the sheet that has
been horizontally supplied from the first discharge passage 6 of
the printing unit 2 diagonally downward.
[0037] As shown in FIG. 3, sheet carrier rollers 22 and an
alignment member 23 as an openable gate are provided at the middle
of the passage 21. The carried sheets are held at the alignment
member 23 that closes the passage 21 so that the sheets are piled
up and stored in the passage 21. A terminal end of the passage 21
is provided with folding means for folding the sheet. The folding
means is provided with a main roller A rotatable at the center, and
further a first folding roller B, a second folding roller C and a
sheet carrier roller D which are rotatably in contact with the main
folding roller A, respectively. Abutment members 24 and 25 on which
a leading end of the sheet that has been nipped and carried by the
folding rollers A, B and C, and the carrier roller D abuts at two
positions around the first and the second folding rollers B and C.
Those members bend the sheet that has been carried and abutted so
that the bent portion of the sheet is guided between the other two
folding rollers A, B and A, C so as to be folded twice or more.
[0038] As shown in FIG. 3, positions of the abutment members 24 and
25 are variable, and allowed to adjust the folding length. As FIG.
4 shows, carrier rollers 24a and 25a are provided in place of the
abutment members 24 and 25, which may provide the similar functions
to those of the abutment members 24 and 25 by stopping rotations of
the carrier rollers 24a and 25a.
[0039] The step of folding the sheet by the folding rollers A, B
and C will be described referring to FIGS. 5 and 6. The alignment
member 23 is not shown in those drawings for convenience.
[0040] As shown in FIG. 5(a), a sheet 30 that has been fed through
the sheet carrier rollers 22 along the passage 21 is nipped and
carried between the main folding roller A and the sheet carrier
roller D. As shown in FIG. 5(b), the sheet 30 is nipped and carried
between the main folding roller A and the sheet carrier roller D
having the leading end abutted on the abutment member 24. As shown
in FIG. 5(c), the sheet 30 is further carried while being abutted
on the abutment member 24. It is sagged along the shape of the
passage 21 therein, and nipped between the main folding roller A
and the first folding roller B. As shown in FIG. 5(d), the sheet 30
is nipped between the main folding roller A and the first folding
roller B, and folded in two while being carried.
[0041] As shown in FIG. 6(a), the sheet 30 abuts on the second
abutment member 25, and is further carried to be sagged along the
shape of the passage 21 therein. It is then nipped between the main
folding roller A and the second folding roller C. Referring to FIG.
6(b), as the sheet 30 is carried through the main folding roller A
and the second folding roller C, it is brought into the stage of
being folded in three inward. As shown in FIG. 6(c), the folding of
the sheet in three inward is finished.
[0042] As shown in FIG. 7(a), the Z-shaped folding may be made by
moving the first abutment member 24 far away from the folding
portion. As shown in FIG. 7(b), the sheet may be folded in four by
moving the first abutment member 24 far away from the folding
portion, and moving the second abutment member 25 closer to the
folding portion.
[0043] As shown in FIG. 2, in the housing 9 of the
enclosing-sealing unit 3, the second carrier passage 20 includes
another passage 26 that carries the sheet 30 folded by the folding
means continuously in the direction diagonally upward substantially
orthogonal to the passage 21. The other passage 26 is located below
the other passage 13 of the first carrier passage 10 that feeds the
envelope diagonally downward, and joins with the passage 13 of the
first carrier passage 10 at the envelope inversion means 50 and the
envelope opening-enclosing means 60 that constitutes a part of the
enclosing-sealing means.
[0044] As shown in FIG. 1 and a part of FIG. 8, the envelope
inversion means 50 is formed of a sheet carrier roller a, sheet
carrier rollers b and g located to interpose the sheet carrier
roller a, and two passages 27 and 28 that extend downward and
diagonally upward, respectively. An envelope 40 that has been fed
from the other passage 13 of the first carrier passage 10 is
brought into the position between the sheet carrier rollers a and g
while having a flap F directed left downward. It is nipped and
carried so as to be fed to the passage 27 below. As shown in FIG.
8(a), the envelope 40 is nipped between the sheet carrier rollers a
and b, and fed to the passage 28 diagonally upward. As shown in
FIG. 8(b), it is fed to the envelope opening-enclosing means 60 to
be described later while having the flap F directed left
upward.
[0045] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 8, the envelope opening-enclosing
means 60 includes the aforementioned sheet carrier rollers a, b,
the passage 28 extending diagonally upward from these sheet carrier
rollers a, b, a horizontal passage 29, a sheet carrier roller c
that carries the envelope and the sheet 30 in the opposite
directions, respectively along the horizontal passage 29, the sheet
carrier roller d that carries the envelope having the sheet 30
enclosed, and an opening claw 41 that swingably reciprocates to
open the flap of the envelope.
[0046] As shown in FIG. 8(a), the envelope 40 having its direction
inverted by the envelope inversion means 50 is carried between the
sheet carrier rollers a and b, and is further fed by the sheet
carrier roller c that normally rotates along the horizontal passage
29. As shown in FIG. 8(b), the inverse rotation of the sheet
carrier roller c and rotation of the sheet carrier roller d serve
to locate the envelope 40 to a predetermined position, and then it
is stopped. As shown in FIGS. 8(c) to 8(e), the opening claw 41
moves to an opening position to open the flap F of the envelope 40,
and at least one folded sheet 30 (there may be no sheet 30) that
has been carried along the second carrier passage 20 is further fed
into the envelope 40 through the sheet carrier rollers a to c.
During this time, the envelope 40 has its position fixed by the
sheet carrier roller d.
[0047] As shown in FIG. 9(a), the folded sheet 30 is enclosed in
the opened envelope 40 to finish enclosing. As shown in FIG. 9(b),
the opening claw 41 is returned to a waiting position, and the
inverse rotation of the sheet carrier roller c and the rotation of
the sheet carrier roller d move the envelope 40 so as to be fed to
the subsequent stage as shown in FIGS. 9(c) and 9(d).
[0048] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 10, the envelope 40 and the like fed
from the sheet carrier roller d passes through the passage 42 that
is tilted diagonally front upward, and is fed to the sealing means
70. The passage 42 is located above the other passage 13 directed
diagonally downward of the first carrier passage 10, and is in
substantially parallel therewith. A pair of sheet carrier rollers e
and f that constitutes the sealing means 70 is provided above the
passage 42.
[0049] As shown in FIGS. 10(a) to 10(c), the envelope 40 fed along
the passage 42 abuts on the terminal end of the passage 42 having a
fold 43 of the flap F folded, and is brought into the position
between the sheet carrier rollers e and f. If the sheet carrier
rollers e and f are driven simultaneously, the flap F is closed so
that the envelope 40 is fed to the upper surface of the housing
9.
[0050] As shown in FIG. 11, the discharge stocker 44 is provided on
the upper surface of the housing 9 to the rear of the
aforementioned envelope stocker 12 in substantially parallel
therewith to ensure reception of the sequentially fed envelopes 40
each having the sheet 30 enclosed and sealed (that is, finished
sealed letter 45). Those sealed letters 45 are moved diagonally
upward while being piled up in alignment on the discharge stocker
44.
[0051] Then overall procedures performed in the sealed letter
preparing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment as described
above will be explained with respect to operations of printing the
address on the ready-made envelope 40, performing the required
printing on a plurality of sheets 30, folding them, enclosing the
sheet 30 in the envelope 40, and sealing the envelope.
[0052] Referring to FIG. 1, in the printing unit 2, the envelope 40
is fed from the paper feed base P1 so that both surfaces of the
envelope 40 are printed using the ink jet devices C, K, M and Y
while it is making a round of the loop-like carrier passage 5. The
simplex printing instead of the duplex printing may be selected.
The envelope 40 is fed to the enclosing-sealing unit 3, and brought
into the envelope stocker 12 from the one passage 11 of the first
carrier passage 10. It is further brought into the envelop
inversion means 50 from the other passage 13 to have the direction
inverted, and then fed into the envelope opening-enclosing means
60. As shown in FIGS. 8(a) to 8(e), the envelope 40 has the flap F
opened by the opening claw 41, and is kept standby while being kept
opened.
[0053] As shown in FIG. 2, subsequent to the envelope 40, the sheet
30 is fed to the loop-like carrier passage 5 from any of the paper
feed bases P2 to P4 at a predetermined interval. While it is making
one round of the carrier passage, both surfaces of the sheet 30 are
printed through the ink jet devices C, K, M and Y. The simplex
printing instead of the duplex printing may be selected. The sheets
30 are stored at the alignment member 23 of the second carrier
passage 20 until the number of the sheets reaches the required
value. When the number reaches the required value, the alignment
member 23 is opened to allow those sheets to be fed to the folding
means. The sheets 30 folded by the folding means into the desired
state pass the envelop inversion means 50, and are fed into the
envelope opening-enclosing means 60. That is, as shown in FIGS.
8(c) to 8(e), and FIGS. 9(a) to 9(d), a plurality of folded sheets
30 are enclosed in the respective envelopes 40.
[0054] As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the envelope 40 having the
sheet 30 enclosed is fed to the sealing means 70, and passes
between the sheet carrier rollers e and f to close the flap F. It
is then discharged to the discharge stocker 44 as the finished
sealed letter 45.
[0055] The sealed letter preparing apparatus according to the
embodiment is configured to allow the common printing unit 2 for
printing the envelope 40 and the sheet 30 as the enclosure to
perform printing on the envelope 40 and the sheet 30 alternately
for each of the sealed letters 45 to be prepared, discharge the
printed envelope and sheet, carry the printed envelope 40 on the
dedicated first carrier passage 10 and the printed sheet 30 on the
dedicated second carrier passage 20, and enclose the sheet 30 in
the envelope 40 using the envelope opening-enclosing means 60 at
the position of intersection between terminal ends of both the
carrier passages 10 and 20. This makes it possible to avoid an
error of pairing the enclosure and the envelope 40. Accordingly, it
is suitable for preparation of one-to-one direct mail having the
enclosure different for each of the envelopes. Especially when
preparing the sealed letter using the ready-made envelope, the
apparatus ensures to execute the process steps of operations
including printing the envelope and enclosure to the
enclosing-sealing operation full-automatically with no errors.
[0056] In this embodiment, the envelope 40 is set on the paper feed
base P1 of the printing unit 2, and is fed to the enclosing-sealing
unit 3 after printing. If the envelopes 40 are already printed,
they may be piled up in the predetermined order, and stored in the
envelope stocker 12 so as to be supplied. When feeding the
envelopes 40 set on the paper feed base P1 of the printing unit 2
to the enclosing-sealing unit 3 after printing, the embodiment is
configured to discharge the envelopes 40 to the envelope stocker 12
once, and then return them to the passage 13 of the first carrier
passage 10 again. The apparatus may be configured to directly feed
the envelopes 40 to the other passage 13 from the printing unit 2
without passing the first passage 11.
[0057] The enclosing-sealing unit 3 according to the embodiment is
configured so that the first carrier passage 10 that carries the
envelope 40 includes the passage 13 located at the center upper
portion inside the housing 9 while being directed diagonally
downward. The second carrier passage 20 that carries the sheet 30
located below the passage 13 includes the passage 21 directed
diagonally downward so as to be substantially in parallel with the
passage 13 of the first carrier passage 10, and the passage 26
substantially orthogonal to the passage 21 while being directed
diagonally upward. The terminal ends of the carrier passages 10 and
20 join at the envelope inversion means 50 and the envelope
opening-enclosing means 60. The passage 42 that extends from the
envelope opening-enclosing means 60 to the sealing unit 70 is
located above the passage 13 of the first carrier passage 10 while
being directed diagonally upward so as to be in substantially
parallel with the passage 13. Many carrier passages are efficiently
arranged in the minimum clearance by using the inner space of the
housing 9 effectively. The resultant structure is sophisticated to
avoid an enclosing error in the state where the envelope 40 and the
sheet 30 are supplied in the separate lines. However, the apparatus
is considerably compact as a whole. The aforementioned structure of
the carrier passage allows the prepared sealed letters 45 to be
forced out in alignment to the discharge stocker 44 diagonally
provided on the upper surface of the housing 9, which is easy to
access. As a result, it is easy to handle for collectively taking
the prepared sealed letters.
2. Second Embodiment
FIGS. 12 to 14
[0058] The sealed letter preparing apparatus 1 according to a
second embodiment executes the process for each sealed letter to be
prepared. In other words, the apparatus performs the required
printing on the sheet 30 to be folded into the envelope 40 and the
sheet 30 equal to 0 or more as the enclosure in an appropriate
order using the common printing unit 2. They are carried through
the separate lines of carrier passages. The sheet 30 to be formed
as the envelope 40 will be folded to form the envelope 40. The
enclosure, if any, is subjected to the required folding. Finally,
both sheets are joined at the enclosing-sealing means so that the
enclosure is enclosed in the envelope 40, the envelope is sealed,
and the finished sealed letters piled on the upper surface of the
apparatus are discharged in alignment.
[0059] Although not shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, the envelope 40
according to this embodiment is a pouch-like article with a
substantially similar structure to that of the envelope 40 as
described in the first embodiment. Therefore, the explanation will
be made using the same reference numeral of 40 as described in the
first embodiment.
[0060] In the embodiment, structures of the printing unit 2, the
second carrier passage 20 that is provided in the enclosing-sealing
unit 3' and carries the sheet 30 as the enclosure, and the folding
means (folding rollers A to C, and sheet carrier roller D and the
like) that folds the sheet 30 as the enclosure are the same as
those described in the first embodiment. The elements that are the
same as and equivalent to those described in the first embodiment
will be designated with the same reference codes, and the
explanation made in the first embodiment will be applied so as to
avoid repetition of the description as much as possible. The
required description may use the same codes as those of the first
embodiment. Hereinafter, each structure of a first carrier passage
10' that carries the sheet 30 to be formed as the envelope 40, the
folding means that folds the sheet 30 into the envelope 40, and
enclosing-sealing means that prepares the sealed letter by aligning
the sheet 30 to be formed as the envelope 40 with the sheet 30 as
the enclosure, and the overall operations will be described
referring to FIGS. 12 to 14.
[0061] The sealed letter preparing apparatus 1' is configured so
that the first discharge passage 6 of the printing unit 2
horizontally extends so as to be introduced into the housing 9 of
the enclosing-sealing unit 3'. In the housing 9, the second carrier
passage 20 is branched diagonally downward from the discharge
passage 6. The downstream of the discharge passage is formed as one
passage 11' of the first carrier passage 10', which extends
diagonally downward. The one passage 11' of the first carrier
passage 10' is provided substantially in parallel with the one
passage 21 of the second carrier passage 20. The one passage 11' of
the first carrier passage 10' serves as a guide passage that
carries the sheet 30 to be formed as the envelope 40 to the folding
means. As described above, the one passage 21 of the second carrier
passage 20 serves as a guide passage that carries the sheet 30 to
be formed as the enclosure to the folding means. Selection between
the first and the second carrier passages 10' and 20 is conducted
by a not-shown switching flap formed at the branch point of the
second carrier passage 20.
[0062] A terminal end of the one passage 11' of the first carrier
passage 10' is provided with the folding means for folding the
sheet 30 to form the envelope 40. The folding means is provided
with the rotatable main folding roller A', and a sheet carrier
roller D' and a first folding roller B' which rotate in contact
with the folding roller A'.
[0063] The other passage 13' of the first carrier passage 10' is
curved upward to have a protrusive shape while extending
horizontally from the portion between the main folding roller A'
and the first folding roller B' of the folding means of the first
carrier passage 10'. The terminal end is provided with the
enclosing means that constitutes a part of the enclosing-sealing
means.
[0064] The enclosing means includes a rotatable main folding roller
A'', as well as a sheet carrier roller D'', first and second
folding rollers B'' and C'' which rotate in contact with the main
folding roller A''. A passage 46 that guides the sheet 30 fed from
the main folding roller A'' and the sheet carrier roller D''
downward is provided below the main folding roller A''.
[0065] The sheet 30 to be formed as the envelope 40 is subjected to
folding in the former stage of the sealing by the folding means as
needed, and is fed to the main folding roller A'' and the like as
the enclosing means for receiving the enclosure. The unfinished
envelope that is partially folded is kept standby on the passage 46
so as to be aligned with the sheet 30 as the enclosure, and further
folded for forming. The folding in the former stage of sealing is
necessary for forming the envelope folded in four. Meanwhile, it is
not necessary for forming the envelope folded in three. Therefore,
the sheet is expected to pass through the folding means without
being folded. In the embodiment, the unfinished envelope is kept
standby for alignment with the sheet 30 as the enclosure on the
passage 46. This is the case when the envelope reaches the joint
position earlier. The enclosure or the envelope, whichever reaches
the joint position first, will be kept standby.
[0066] The terminal end of the other passage 26 of the second
carrier passage 20 is connected between the main folding roller A''
and the first folding roller B'' of the enclosing means. On the
second carrier passage 20, the sheet 30 as the enclosure which has
been appropriately folded by the folding means (main folding roller
A and the like) is fed to the main folding roller A'' of the
enclosing means while passing the other passage 26, and is aligned
with an unfinished envelope 40' that is kept standby on the passage
46. The unfinished envelope 40' and the sheet 30 as the enclosure
are subjected to folding through the main folding roller A'', the
first and the second rollers B'' and C'' so as to be formed into
the state where the sheet 30 is enclosed in the envelope 40.
[0067] A passage 47 tilted diagonally front upward is provided from
the position between the main folding roller A'' and the second
folding roller C'' of the enclosing means. The passage 47 is
substantially in parallel with the one passage 11' of the first
carrier passage 10' and the one passage 21 of the second carrier
passage 20. Sealing rollers 80 are provided as the sealing means
that constitutes a part of the enclosing-sealing means at the
middle of the passage 47. The sealing rollers 80 bond peripheries
of the envelope 40 having the enclosure enclosed by the enclosing
means for sealing the envelope 40.
[0068] The envelope 40 sealed by the sealing rollers 80 is
discharged into a discharge tray 48 provided on the upper surface
of the housing 9, and sequentially piled up and kept standby for
taking out.
[0069] The overall procedure performed by the sealed letter
preparing apparatus 1' according to the embodiment as described
above will be described, which includes operations of printing the
address and the like on the sheet 30 to be formed as the envelope
40, subjecting a plurality of sheets 30 to the required printing,
folding them, enclosing the sheet 30 in the envelope 40 formed by
folding the sheet 30, and sealing the envelope.
[0070] Referring to FIG. 12, the printing unit 2 receives the sheet
30 to be formed into the envelope 40 by folding from the paper feed
base P1. In this embodiment, the sheet 30 for forming the envelope
40 may be supplied from any of the paper feed bases P1 to P4 of the
printing unit 2. The sheet 30 has its both surfaces printed by the
ink jet devices C, K, M and Y while making a round of the loop-like
carrier passage 5. The simplex printing instead of the duplex
printing may be selected. Generally, the address and the like is
printed on the outer surface of the envelope 40, and certain
information to be sent to the destination will be printed on the
inner surface of the envelope 40 in place of the enclosure that is
not enclosed, or with the printed content of the enclosure to be
enclosed. The information printed on the inner surface of the
envelope 40 may be read by the recipient who opens the envelope 40
by cutting.
[0071] The sheet 30 to be formed as the envelope 40 is fed from the
one passage 11' of the first carrier passage 10' to the folding
means by switching the not-shown switching flap. The sheet 30 is
fed forward through the main folding roller A' and the sheet
carrier roller D', and bent while abutting on a not-shown abutment
member. It is brought to the position between the main folding
roller A' and the first folding roller B' from the bent portion,
and further nipped and carried to have a part of the leading end in
the sheet passing direction folded. FIG. 12 shows that the
unfinished envelope 40' is shown outside the apparatus so as not to
be overlapped therewith. The unfinished envelope 40' that is
partially folded is carried through the main folding roller A'' and
the sheet carrier roller D'' as the enclosing means, and fed to the
passage 46 where it is kept standby while having the lower folded
portion directed to the second carrier passage 20.
[0072] Referring to FIG. 13, subsequent to the sheet 30 to be
formed as the envelope 40, the sheet 30 required as the enclosure
is fed into the loop-like carrier passage 5 from any of the paper
feed bases P2 to P4 at a predetermined interval. Both surfaces of
the sheet 30 are printed by the ink jet devices C, K, M and Y while
making two rounds of the carrier passage. The simplex printing
instead of the duplex printing may be selected. The sheet 30 as the
enclosure is fed to the one passage 21 of the second carrier
passage 20 by switching the not-shown switching flap. The sheets 30
are stored at the alignment member 23 on the one passage 21 of the
second carrier passage 20 until the number of the sheets reaches
the required value. When the number reaches the required value, the
alignment member 23 is opened to allow those sheets to be fed to
the folding means (main folding roller A and the like). The sheet
30 folded into the required state through a plurality of foldings
performed by the folding means is fed to the sealing means (main
folding roller A'' and the like) while passing the other passage 22
of the second carrier passage 20. In this embodiment, the sheet 30
is folded in three inward. Referring to FIG. 13, the sheet is shown
outside the apparatus so as not to be overlapped therewith. The
sheet 30 folded in three inward is carried to the position where it
abuts on the upper portion of the folded part of the unfinished
envelope 40'. In this embodiment, the unfinished envelope 40' is
fed to the enclosing means first, and then, the sheet 30 as the
enclosure is folded and fed to the enclosing means. However, the
aforementioned order may be inverted.
[0073] Referring to FIG. 14, the sheet 30 to be formed as the
envelope 40 is set on the outside and folded so as to enclose the
sheet 30 as the enclosure inside by the main folding roller A'' and
the first and the second folding rollers B'' and C'' as the
enclosing means, thus enclosing the sheet 30 in the envelope
40.
[0074] As FIG. 14 shows, the sheet 30 as the envelope 40 enclosed
with the enclosure is brought into the passage 47 tilted diagonally
upward with respect to the upper surface of the housing 9, and
passes through the sealing rollers 80 so that the peripheries are
bonded together and the envelope 40 is sealed. A pressure-sensitive
adhesive is preliminarily applied to the bonded surfaces of the
sheet 30 to be formed as the envelope 40 so that the sealing is
performed under the pressure applied by the aforementioned sealing
rollers 80. The sealing may be performed using the other means and
normal adhesive agent which are well known.
[0075] The finished envelope that has been enclosed and sealed is
discharged to the discharge tray 48 provided on the upper surface
of the housing 9, and sequentially piled up to be kept standby for
being taken out.
[0076] The sealed letter preparing apparatus 1' of the embodiment
is configured to allow the common printing unit 2 for printing the
respective sheets 30 to be formed as the envelope 40 and as the
enclosure respectively to perform printing on the sheet 30 as the
envelope 40 and the sheet 30 as the enclosure alternately, and
discharge those sheets. The sheet 30 to be formed as the envelope
40 is folded into the envelope while being carried on the dedicated
first carrier passage 10'. The sheet 30 as the enclosure is bent
while being carried on the dedicated second carrier passage 20. The
enclosing means provided at the position of intersection between
the terminal ends of the carrier passages finishes formation of the
envelope 40 by enclosing the sheet 30 with the sheet 30 to be
formed as the envelope 40 while folding. The sealed letter is
formed by ensuring to form the envelope and the enclosure using the
generally employed sheet 30 in the same process step, and perform
the enclosing-sealing full-automatically with no errors. Since the
operation is efficient and economically excellent as well as
unlikely to cause errors in pairing of the enclosure and the
envelope, the apparatus is suitable for preparation of one-to-one
direct mail having the enclosure different for each of the
envelopes. The partially folded sheet as unfinished envelope is
aligned with the sheet as the enclosure so that those sheets are
integrally folded to form the envelope 40. This may be less likely
to cause the insertion error compared to the case of inserting the
enclosure in the finished envelope from the opening.
[0077] In the enclosing-sealing unit 3' according to this
embodiment, the one passage 11' of the first carrier passage 10'
for carrying the sheet 30 to be formed as the envelope 40, the one
passage 21 of the second carrier passage 20 for carrying the sheet
30 as the enclosure, and the passage 47 to which the main folding
roller A'' as the enclosing means and the sealing rollers 80 are
provided are diagonally arranged substantially in parallel with one
another. The terminal end of the other passage 13' of the first
carrier passage 10' and the other passage 22 of the second carrier
passage 20 are connected to the main folding roller A'' as the
enclosing means, respectively. The last passage 47 to which the
sealing rollers 80 are provided reaches the upper surface of the
housing 9. Many carrier passages are efficiently arranged in the
minimum clearance by effectively using the inner space of the
housing 9. In spite of the sophisticated structure with less
incidence of sealing error through carriage of the sheet 30 to be
formed as the envelope 40 and the sheet 30 as the enclosure in the
separate lines, the overall structure is considerably compact. As a
result of the aforementioned structure of the carrier passages, the
prepared sealed letters will be forced out in alignment into the
discharge tray 48 provided diagonally on the upper surface of the
housing 9 for easy taking. Handling of them upon taking is
convenient.
3. Modified Example of the Embodiment
[0078] Each of the aforementioned sealed letter preparing
apparatuses 1 and 1' according to the respective embodiments is
provided with the printing unit 2. However, an existing image
forming apparatus may be used as the printing unit 2. That is, the
sealed letter preparing apparatus 1 or 1' according to the present
invention may be provided by connecting the enclosing-sealing unit
3 or 3' to the normally employed image forming apparatus that has
already been installed in the office as the printing unit 2
according to the present invention. In this case, the existing
image forming apparatus may be used for printing on both the
envelope and the enclosure, resulting in reduced cost for
installation of the automatic sealed letter preparing
apparatus.
[0079] The ink jet device as described in the embodiments may be
used as the image forming apparatus. Any kind of image forming
means may be used regardless of image forming principle.
[0080] Each of the embodiments has been described with respect to
the case where at least one sheet as the enclosure is folded so as
to be enclosed in the envelope. In the case where the inner surface
of the envelope is printed with required content for delivery, so
called self mailer, operations of printing the sheet as the
enclosure and enclosing such enclosure are not required.
[0081] When using the enclosure, the sheet as the enclosure does
not have to be folded. Depending on the respective sizes of the
envelope and the enclosure, it may be enclosed into the envelope as
it is without being folded. In such a case, the enclosing-sealing
unit 3 or 3' of the sealed letter preparing apparatus 1 or 1' does
not need the folding unit (folding roller and the like) for folding
the sheet 30 as the enclosure.
[0082] In each of the embodiments, a sheet-type paper is used as
the sheet for forming the envelope and the enclosure. For example,
the paper in the roll state may be used by cutting into the
required length for each time of use so as to be supplied.
EXPLANATIONS OF LETTERS OR NUMERALS
[0083] 1,1' . . . sealed letter preparing apparatus [0084] 2 . . .
printing unit [0085] 3,3' . . . enclosing-sealing unit [0086]
10,10' . . . first carrier passage [0087] 11,11' . . . one passage
of the first carrier passage [0088] 13,13' . . . the other passage
of the first carrier passage [0089] 20 . . . second carrier passage
[0090] 21 . . . one passage of the second carrier passage [0091] 26
. . . the other passage of the second carrier passage [0092] 30 . .
. sheet [0093] 40 . . . envelope [0094] 40' . . . unfinished
envelope [0095] 50 . . . envelope inversion means [0096] 60 . . .
envelope opening-enclosing means as a part of the enclosing-sealing
means [0097] 70 . . . sealing means as a part of the
enclosing-sealing means [0098] 80 . . . sealing roller as the
sealing means as a part of the enclosing-sealing means [0099] A,A'
. . . main folding roller as folding means [0100] B,B' . . . first
folding roller as folding means [0101] C . . . second folding
roller as folding means [0102] D,D' . . . sheet carrier roller as
folding means [0103] A'' . . . main folding roller as enclosing
means that constitute a part of the enclosing-sealing means [0104]
B'' . . . first folding roller as enclosing means that constitutes
a part of the enclosing-sealing means [0105] C'' . . . second
folding roller as enclosing means that constitutes a part of the
enclosing-sealing means [0106] D'' . . . sheet carrier roller as
enclosing means that constitutes a part of the enclosing-sealing
means [0107] a . . . sheet carrier roller as envelope inversion
means [0108] b . . . sheet carrier roller as envelope inversion
means [0109] g . . . sheet carrier roller as envelope inversion
means [0110] 27 . . . passage as envelope inversion means [0111] 28
. . . passage as envelope inversion means
PRIOR ART LITERATURE
Patent Literature
[0111] [0112] Patent literature 1: JP-A No. 7-52596
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