Machine for inserting group of sheets into envelopes

Abstract

A machine for inserting sheets into envelopes, the machine includes sheets feeder means for delivering the sheets on an underlying sliding surface; lugging means disposed along said sliding surface and operated by a related endless conveying line to engage trailing edges of said sheets to move said sheets toward a sheet inserting station disposed along the sliding surface downstream of said conveying line, an envelope feeder enclosing a stack of envelopes, said envelopes feeder being situated beside said sliding surface and capable, of removing continuously single envelopes from the bottom of said stack and feeding each single envelope to the inlet of an additional conveying line, placing said single envelope arranged in such a way that the back wall of the envelope, to which the closing flap of the envelope is hinged, faces downwards, so that the opening for inserting the sheets faces upwards and backwards, with respect to the inlet of said additional conveying line, said additional conveying line extending between said envelope feeder and said sheet insertion station an including gripping means, arranged stepwise and aimed at taking over each single envelope still arranged in the same way, and at transferring each single envelope to the sheet insertion station in suitable advance relation with respect to the arrival of the respective sheets,, while keeping the envelopes oriented in the same way, with the related back wall and closing flap turned downwards, so that the opening, through which the sheets are to be inserted, is turned upwards, crosswise to the sliding surface.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . Machine for inserting sheets into envelopes, the machine including: 
 a sliding surface along which the sheets are moved;    a sheet inserting station disposed along the sliding surface;    sheets feeder means for delivering the sheets onto the sliding surface;    lugging means disposed along said sliding surface and operated by a related endless conveying line to engage trailing edges of said sheets to move said sheets toward said sheet inserting station disposed downstream of said conveying line;    an envelope feeder enclosing a stack of envelopes, said envelope feeder being situated beside said sliding surface and capable of removing continuously single envelopes from the bottom of said stack and feeding each single envelope;    an additional conveying line for receiving single envelopes from said envelope feeder and arranging said single envelope in such a way that the back wall of the envelope, to which a closing flap is hinged, faces downwards, so that the envelope opening faces upwards and backwards, with respect to said additional conveying line, said additional conveying line extending between said envelope feeder and said sheet insertion station;    gripping means arranged along said additional conveying line for taking over each single envelope and transferring said single envelope to said sheet insertion station just before the respective sheets arrive, while keeping the envelopes oriented in the same way, with the related back wall and closing flap turned downwards, so that the envelope opening is turned upwards, crosswise to the sliding surface as well as turned towards the terminal section of said endless conveying line of the lugging means.    
     
     
         2 . A machine for inserting sheets into envelopes as in  claim 1 , wherein the outlet section of said envelope feeder is situated at a lower level with respect to said sliding surface and said sheet insertion station.  
     
     
         3 . A machine for inserting sheets into envelopes as in  claim 1 , wherein said additional conveying line includes endless conveying means with an active forward run, operating to transfer the envelopes and including an upward extending section, and a non-active return run including a respective downward extending section, with said gripping means associated to said endless conveying means  
     
     
         4 . A machine for inserting sheets into envelopes as in  claim 3 , wherein said gripping means include a series of a pairs of gripping arms pivoted to each other and normally set to a clamped configuration.  
     
     
         5 . A machine for inserting sheets into envelopes according to  claim 4 , further including first wide apart means associated to said additional conveying line close to the inlet section thereof, said wide apart means being capable of temporarily engaging with a first arm of said gripping arms while moving along said section to open wide apart said first arm with respect to the second arm, so that the bottom edge of a corresponding envelope delivered by said envelope feeder can be introduced between said gripping arms and thus gripped therebetween, said bottom edge being opposite to the edge provided with a closing flap.  
     
     
         6 . A machine for inserting sheets into envelopes according to  claim 5 , wherein said first wide apart means include stationary cam means which temporarily engage with striking means connected to said first arm of said gripping means, the engagement of said striking means with the cam means thus causing said first arm to temporarily part away from said second arm.  
     
     
         7 . A machine for inserting sheets into envelopes according to  claim 6 , wherein said striking means include a roller rotatably connected to said first arm of each one of said gripping means.  
     
     
         8 . A machine for inserting sheets into envelopes according to  claim 5 , further including includes first opening means acting on the closing flap of each envelope, said first opening means being disposed along said additional conveying line right after said first wide apart means and above said additional conveying line designed to open said closing flap when a single envelope occurs to pass thereunder, dragged by said gripping means.  
     
     
         9 . A machine for inserting sheets into envelopes according to  claim 8 , wherein said first opening means include vertical nozzles fed with air flows directed to act on said envelopes while they pass thereunder, so as to make the related closing flap to open.  
     
     
         10 . A machine for inserting sheets into envelopes according to  2 , wherein said sheet insertion station includes: 
 a filling place, situated along the running plane downstream of the terminal section of the conveying line of the conveying means and aimed at receiving the single envelopes to be filled from the additional conveying line;    means for retaining stopped the single dwelling envelopes in the above mentioned filling place while inserting the sheets;    second means for opening the closing flap, aimed at keeping the latter in open configuration and at part the back wall of the single envelopes and the front wall away from each other, in order to increase the opening section during dwelling; transferring and inserting means, situated and acting above the filling place, aimed at taking over the sheets, in step relation with the release of the sheets by the conveying means in the region corresponding to the terminal section of the relative conveying line, by acting on the respective trailing edges, and at transferring the latter to said filling place and at inserting the sheets into the single dwelling envelopes, up to a predetermined point, in which the trailing edges of the sheets is located beyond the hinge line of the envelopes;    said transferring and inserting means being also aimed at transferring the envelopes, after the sheets had been completely inserted therein, from the filling place toward subsequent working stations, in order to free the filling place for further single envelopes to be filled.    
     
     
         11 . A machine for inserting sheets into envelopes according to  claim 10 , wherein the transferring and inserting means are operated by an endless conveying device, suitably situated above the running plane, whose upstream section is situated in the region corresponding to the terminal section of the conveying line of the conveying means.  
     
     
         12 . A machine for inserting sheets into envelopes according to  claim 10 , wherein above mentioned second opening means include vertical nozzles, fed with flows of air so as to act on the envelopes dwelling therebelow, so that the closing flap is made to open and the opening is widened to facilitate the insertion of the sheets.  
     
     
         13 . A machine for inserting sheets into envelopes according, to  claim 10 , wherein the above mentioned retaining means include arms kept in vertical configuration by relative counterweight contrast means, so as to keep the envelopes dwelling in the filling place during the insertion of the sheets; the arms being aimed at being partially raised, in order to free the single envelopes due to the continuative pulling action of the transferring and inserting means which makes them overcome the action of the contrast means, so as to transfer the single envelopes with the sheets inserted therein toward subsequent working stations.  
     
     
         14 . A machine for inserting sheets into envelopes according to  claim 10 , further including second wide apart means situated in the sheet insertion station I and acting on a first arm of said gripping arms of the additional conveying line while passing by the filling place, in order to open them and release the envelopes dwelling against the retaining means.  
     
     
         15 . A machine for inserting sheets into envelopes according to  claim 14 , wherein said second wide apart means include stationary cam means, aimed being temporarily engaged by idle rollers, connected to the first arm of the gripping means, the run of the rollers on the cam means determines the temporary opening of the first arm with respect to the second arm and the release of the envelopes.