Inserting postal items into envelopes

Abstract

A method of inserting postal items into envelopes, comprising, for each of said envelopes: holding the envelope in an inserting position with an open end oriented towards a postal item transport path and with an envelope edge perpendicular to the open end against an alignment surface that defines an envelope alignment axis at the inserting position; displacing one or more of the postal items along the postal item transport path into the envelope, an edge of the or each postal item, at least partway along the transport path, being urged against and guided by an alignment surface that defines a postal item alignment axis along the postal item transport path, wherein the envelope alignment axis is offset from the postal item alignment axis by a predetermined distance in a direction away from the postal item transport path.

1 . A method of inserting postal items into envelopes, comprising, for each of said envelopes:
 holding the envelope in an inserting position with an open end oriented towards a postal item transport path and with a single envelope edge perpendicular to the open end against an envelope alignment surface that defines an envelope alignment axis at the inserting position; and   displacing one or more of the postal items along the postal item transport path into the envelope, a single edge of the or each postal item, at least partway along the transport path, being urged against and guided by a postal item alignment surface that defines a postal item alignment axis along the postal item transport path,   wherein the single envelope edge located against the envelope alignment surface and the single edge of the or each postal item urged against the postal item alignment surface face in a common direction perpendicular to the postal item transport path, and   wherein the envelope alignment axis is offset from the postal item alignment axis by a predetermined distance in a direction away from the postal item transport path.   
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein at least successive ones of the envelopes include envelopes of different widths or successive ones of the postal items include postal items of different widths, wherein the postal items are inserted into the envelopes with said edge guides in continuously stationary positions. 
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 2 , wherein envelope opening fingers are inserted into each of the envelopes and open a throat of the envelope for facilitating insertion of the postal item or items therein and wherein a fixed distance transverse to the envelope alignment axis between a finger most closely to the envelope alignment axis is maintained at least during and between insertion of successive ones of the postal items of different widths or during and between insertion of successive ones of the postal items into the envelopes of different widths. 
     
     
         4 . A method according to  claim 3 , wherein at least one finger is inserted into each envelope at a fixed distance from the envelope alignment axis and subsequently urged away from the envelope alignment axis until abutting an edge of the envelope remote from the envelope alignment axis. 
     
     
         5 . An apparatus for inserting postal items into envelopes, comprising:
 a postal item transport path comprising a postal item edge guide having a postal item alignment surface for engaging an edge of the postal items in at least a section of the transport path, the postal item alignment surface defining a postal item alignment axis along the postal item transport path and bounding the postal item transport path in a direction transverse to and away from the postal item transport path; and   an envelope holder for holding an envelope in an inserting position with an open end oriented towards the postal item transport path, the envelope holder comprising an envelope edge guide having an envelope alignment surface for engaging an edge of the envelope at an inserting position, the envelope alignment surface defining an envelope alignment axis at the inserting position and bounding the inserting position in said direction transverse to the postal item transport path;   wherein the postal item transport path further comprises a driving structure for displacing the postal items along the postal item transport path into the envelope; and   wherein the apparatus is arranged such that the postal items are urged in said direction against the postal item edge guide, the envelopes are urged in said direction against the envelope edge guide, and the envelope alignment axis is offset from the postal item alignment axis by a predetermined distance in said direction.   
     
     
         6 . An apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the drive structure includes circulatable postal item transport members of which an outer circumference is circulatable along a path having a section oriented obliquely in a direction along and towards said postal item edge guide. 
     
     
         7 . An apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the postal item transport path comprises support members defining an inclined support plane, the postal item edge guide extending along and bounding a lower end of the support plane. 
     
     
         8 . An apparatus according to  claim 5 , wherein the envelope holder includes circulatable envelope transport members of which an outer circumference is circulatable along a path having a section oriented obliquely in a direction along and towards the envelope edge guide. 
     
     
         9 . An apparatus according to any one of  claim 5 , wherein the envelope edge guide and the postal item edge guide are fixedly connected relative to each other. 
     
     
         10 . An apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein the envelope edge guide and the postal item edge guide are integrally formed.