Document Orientation Mechanism

This invention relates to document and mail handling systems and, more particularly, to systems for orienting and feeding mail and other documents for further processing.

In postal and credit operations, it is desirable to code certain documents and envelopes using a bar code keying and printing module, and to thereafter sort the documents by using a bar code reader and sorter. Since most bar code readers can only read one face of the documents at a time, it is important that the documents fed into the sorter all have the face of the document carrying the bar code facing in a uniform direction.

An efficient means for preparing envelopes and documents for feeding into a document transport means, including a bar code reader and sorter, is to use a dual operator keying and printing station. Optimal floor space is minimized using this arrangement because one operator is placed on either side of the document transport means. The potentiality of a problem arising from this arrangement occurs in that envelopes or documents being fed from the operator station on the left side of the transport means will face in the direction opposite to those envelopes coming from the operator station on the right hand side. The face of the documents streaming from one operator station must therefore be reversed so that the integrated documents from both operators will all face in a uniform direction in order to be readable by a single bar code reader.

A novel system and means for executing document reversal is shown in the present invention. In the known prior art, namely, U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,194 issued to Freeman et al., a single station system and apparatus is disclosed for sorting postage bearing mail based on the location of the postage indicia, utilizing a chute-like receptacle which then ejects and directs mail pieces to separate right and left conveyors, depending upon whether indicia is present adjacent to the right or left edge of the envelope. The conveyors circle and form a closed loop connected to the document transport means.

The present invention provides a system and mechanism for reversing the direction of the face of a stream of documents moving in a predetermined direction, which may be integrated with another separate document stream for further processing, so that the final integrated document stream has uniform facing when it enters a secondary processing system.

The orienting mechanism of this invention is placed generally perpendicular to a document stream, and it accepts individual documents or serially disposed multiple documents propelled by an outside source in a predetermined direction. It reverses the direction in which the document faces are oriented by moving the documents via a belt having a first portion thereof tangential to and moving in the same predetermined direction. A second portion of the belt is generally perpendicular to the predetermined direction, and means is provided for transferring the documents to a doubled over third portion of the belt moving in the opposite direction, and then causing said documents to be moved generally tangentially to their original predetermined direction and into said document stream with their faces reversed from their original orientation.

The belt may advantageously be arranged over four or more pulleys in a generally V-shaped fashion having the inner or throat portion of the arrangement with the opposed substantially parallel spaced second and third portions of the belt moving in directions opposite each other. Preferably, the first portion of the belt, with which the envelope or document initially makes contact, is tangential to and moves in the same direction as the outside propulsion means for the document stream, and the belt then moves around one of the pulleys into a second or transfer position substantially perpendicular to the document stream. A first automatic sensing element of an integral transfer means is initially moved out of the path of the envelope or document as it follows the belt around the one of pulleys from the first position into the second perpendicular position. When the document has totally moved beyond the first sensing element of the transfer means into the second transfer position, it is juxtaposed relative to the belt and it is contiguous to the parallel third portion of the belt, which having moved around a second pulley, is now moving in the opposite direction relative to the second portion of the belt. The automatic transfer means moves laterally to shift the document away from its juxtaposition relative to the second portion of the belt, and to shift the document into a juxtaposed relation to the oppositely moving third portion of the belt.

The third portion of the belt is then moved around a third pulley forming a fourth portion generally tangential to and moving in the same direction as the main document stream so that the reversed documents may easily return to the original stream.

The output of the orientation mechanism provides a stream of documents facing the reverse direction from the input stream. The output stream of documents re-enters the overall stream of documents and may then be integrated with another document stream of the opposite hand so that all documents in the intergrated stream face in a uniform direction. Either one of the single streams or the integrated streams may then be fed directly to a bar code reader or an optical character scanner for sorting, or to a letter postage cancelling apparatus.

An advantage of the instant invention is that the mechanism embodies few movable elements. This simplicity of mechanism contributes heavily to its inherent reliability and smooth operation.

While the orientation mechanism of this invention is useful in postal operations, the invention is also useful in orienting individual or stacked documents, and other flat articles bearing some form of indicia for further processing.

FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic perspective view of the document flow through the document orientation mechanism of the present invention, showing the face reversal of the documents;

FIG. 1A is a schematic plan view of a two operator station arrangement on opposite sides of a document transport mechanism;

FIG. 1B is a schematic view similar to FIG. 1A with the addition of an orienting mechanism of the type contemplated by the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic top plan view of an envelope orientation mechanism including means for reversing the face of documents according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; and,

FIG. 3 is a perspective partial view of the document orienting mechanism shown in FIG. 2, with the transfer mechanism now shown for purposes of clarity of illustration.

Where operator keying stations are utilized for purposes of correcting or introducing bar codes on the face of envelopes or documents to assist in the sorting of the same, it has been found that dual operator keying station modules A and B of FIG. 1A can be designed to minimize the floor space required while maintaining a linear envelope flow in transport means 50 from these modules into a bar code sorter, not shown. By placing one operator on either side of the envelope transport means 50, a potential problem occurs. It will be appreciated, as seen in FIG. 1A, that when the front of the envelopes initially face each of the operators, the envelopes from operator station A on the left-hand side of the envelope transport means 50 will face in the opposite direction, when blended, from the envelopes of operator station B on the right-hand side of the envelope transport means 50. In order to eliminate this reverse disposition of the envelopes, a simple but very effective generally V-shaped belt path 10 (envelope orienting means) is used to reverse the direction of the envelope from its initial orientation at the key entry operator station B before merging into the envelope transport means 50, as seen in FIG. 1B.

As can be best seen in FIG. 1, the path of the sequence of envelopes "E" is schematically illustrated by the broad arrow ribbon which is designated 60 as it approaches the orienting mechanism 10, (not fully structurally shown in FIG. 1); the ribbon being designated 62 where the envelope path is inbound within the orienting mechanism 10; being designated 63 where the envelope path is outbound; and being designated 64 where the envelope "E" has re-entered the main stream of envelopes, in a reversed condition, for merging with the envelopes from Station A, so that as the merged envelopes proceed along the transport means 50 toward the bar code reader and sorter, not shown, they will be uniformly oriented. To better illustrate the operation of this device 10, the envelopes "E" in FIG. 1 are shown as a laminate with the back of the envelope being designated "EB" and having a darkened mottled layer. The front of the envelope "E" is designated "EF" and is the clean white layer.

The orienting mechanism 10 consists of a doubled over belt path comprising an upper belt 28 and a lower belt 29 with a gap 31 therebetween, along with the necessary drive and idler pulleys 30, 32 and 36, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The envelope "E" following path 60 (FIG. 2), enters the throat 12 (FIG. 2) into the folded belt path with the inward running part 14 of the upper belt 28, and an equivalent part of the lower belt 29 which is not visible in FIGS. 2 and 3, in contact with one face of the envelope and driving it into the mechanism. The orienting mechanism also includes a spring loaded envelope sensor 40 (FIGS. 2 and 3) that projects inwardly below part 14 of upper belt 28 and into the gap 31 above lower belt 29, not shown. Each envelope "E" when it enters the throat 12, formed by the moving diverter belt 22, moving counterclockwise about sheaves 24 and 26, and tangentially engaging belts 28 and 29 as they pass over, a power actuated, clockwise rotating, drive pulley 30, contacts and deflects sensor 40 in a clockwise direction. (Sheave 24 may be operatively connected to driven pulley 30 by a common motive means transmitting rotation to sheave 24 and pulley 30 from a single power source. The sensor 40 is connected by arm 41 to a perpendicular section 39 (FIGS. 2 and 3) fastened to the counterclockwise spring loaded rotatable shaft or pivot post 38. Extending inwardly towards the belt portion 14 is an elongated arm 42 that supports a deflector guide arm 16 (FIG. 2). Arm 16 is normally below belt portion 14, as shown in FIG. 2 as the solid line 16a, and it moves away from its normal solid-line 16a position when sensor 40 is deflected by an envelope to its deflected position, shown by broken lines as 40a, to thereby pivot the arm 16 to the retracted position shown by broken lines as 16b (FIG. 2). When the trailing edge of the envelope "E" clears the input roller belt nip, between rollers 24 and 30, it releases the envelope sensor 40 (shown in FIG. 2 as a mechanical wire-form sensor) which then causes the deflector guide arm 16 (which is moved by the spring-loaded pivot post or shaft 38) to press the envelope against the outward running part 18 of the belt 28 and against an equivalent outward running part of the lower belt 29, which is not visible in FIGS. 2 and 3. This causes the belt part 18 and the equivalent part of belt 29, which now contact the opposite face of the envelope, to drive the envelope in the opposite direction from before, accomplishing the required reorientation. The envelope will be ejected out of the exit throat 20, between belt pulleys 24 and 32, and will contact direction control means, not shown, which will divert the envelopes into the desired path 64 (FIG. 2) for movement to the point of merger with the envelopes from operator station A' along the path of transport belts 50 (FIG. 1B) leading to the bar code reader and sorter mechanism (not shown). The direction control means or output means may include at least one belt arranged on at least two pulleys in a structure substantially identical to the input diverter belt 22 on sheaves 24 and 26. Preferably, the output means is powered by and is part of the means for moving the documents in the predetermined overall directional path.

The simplicity of the mechanism is remarkable and contributes heavily to its inherent reliability and smooth operation over extended periods of continuous usage. It is to be noted that the wire-form structure comprising wire elements 40, 41, 39, 41 and 16 in FIG. 2 is shown to comprise equivalent elements of rectangular bars in FIG. 3, for purposes of illustrating equivalency. Cylindrical rod elements could also be used. While other modifications to the inventive mechanism will be apparent to those skilled in the art, it is the intent of the inventor to not be limited other than in the claims attached hereto.