Document compiling apparatus

Abstract

In an enclosure-collating path on which enclosure compartments are defined by conveying fingers, a displacement of enclosures during deceleration phases of the driven conveying fingers and thus incorrect positioning of enclosures at ejecting stations or an inserter station is prevented in that the enclosure compartments are limited on the side of the leading enclosure edges by auxiliary fingers, and through coupling of the drives for the conveying fingers and the auxiliary fingers the enclosure compartments are limited to essentially the maximum dimension of the enclosures in the conveying direction at least during the deceleration phase of the conveying fingers and are reopened thereafter.

1 . A mail processing apparatus having a collating transport, the collating transport having pairs of conveying fingers which are guided parallel to one another and circulate within the collating transport, the conveying fingers projecting beyond a top surface of the collating transport and defining enclosure compartments, said enclosure compartments conveyed past at least one enclosure-ejecting station arranged over the course of the collating transport, wherein circulating auxiliary fingers are guided parallel to the conveying fingers and project beyond the top surface of the collating transport and define behind them the front end of a respective enclosure compartment and wherein a drive for the conveying fingers and a drive for the auxiliary fingers are movably coupled to one another such that the mutual spacing between the of conveying fingers and auxiliary fingers is a first distance apart while in motion and a second smaller distance apart while at rest.  
   
   
       2 . The mail processing apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a coupling between the drive for the conveying fingers and the drive for the auxiliary fingers is such that the conveying fingers and the auxiliary fingers are moved towards one another before beginning of an operation of braking the conveying fingers and/or at the beginning of the operation of braking the conveying fingers and/or once the operation of braking the conveying fingers has begun.  
   
   
       3 . The mail processing apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a drive shaft of the drive for the conveying fingers and a second drive shaft of the auxiliary fingers are coupled to a drive motor via a differential gear mechanism such that they circulate synchronously in the same direction of rotation when a compensating-wheel carrier of the differential gear mechanism is at a standstill, and in that the compensating-wheel carrier is subjected to the action of an actuating motor, by means of which it is possible to change the phase positions of the rotation of the drive shafts relative to one another.  
   
   
       4 . The mail processing apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the drive for the conveying fingers contains a main motor and the drive auxiliary fingers contains a servomotor, and in that the main motor and the servomotor are connected to a control unit that drives supply voltages, in a controlled manner such that mutual phase position of the motors can be changed.  
   
   
       5 . The mail processing apparatus of  claim 1  wherein mounted in the region of at least one enclosure-ejecting station, on the top side of the collating transport, is an intermediate deck beneath which the rows of conveying fingers can be moved for enclosure-conveying purposes, while the auxiliary fingers are longer than the conveying fingers and project through the intermediate deck, and wherein a coupling between the drives for the conveying fingers and for the auxiliary fingers is configured such that, prior to acceleration of the conveying fingers, the auxiliary fingers are moved from a position for bounding a certain enclosure compartment at the front, into a position in transverse alignment alongside the conveying fingers of a preceding enclosure compartment and, upon acceleration of the conveying fingers, an enclosure ejected onto the intermediate deck is accelerated by the auxiliary fingers synchronously with the conveying fingers of the preceding enclosure compartment.