System for depositing documents into boxes

Abstract

The invention relates to a system adapted for printing and for consecutively placing in boxes moving on a conveyor, documents of the slip type ( 11 ) in correspondence with the boxes and with the products to be received therein. The system ( 6 ) comprises, at the outlet ( 12 ) of a printer ( 5 ) supplying documents ( 11 ) in the form of one or more printed sheets for each box, advance and storage means ( 13, 14 ) with a succession of locations ( 19,20,21,22 ) for receiving the sheets, between which the documents ( 11 ) advance step by step. Means ( 27, 28 ) for transferring the documents ( 11 ) to the boxes are provided at the last location ( 22 ). The advance and storage means ( 13, 14 ) define a flat U-shaped path. The system is intended for order preparation lines.

1 . A system for depositing documents in boxes, the system being intended for an order preparation line with a conveyor along which the boxes, each intended to be filled with products corresponding to an order, advance, this system being designed to print, and feed in succession into the boxes, shipping-type documents corresponding to these boxes and to the products which are intended to be placed in these boxes, the system comprising a storage zone for the printed documents, prior to their being fed into the boxes, wherein it comprises, at the output of a printer delivering the documents in a form of one or more printed sheets for each box, advancing and storage means in the form of a series of sheet-receiving locations, between which the documents advance step by step, from a starting location where the sheets are received at the output of the printer, to a final or waiting-for-deposition location, via one or more intermediate locations, means for transferring the documents to the boxes being linked to the final location, the advancing and storage means defining a sideways U path for the documents that are to be deposited, with an upper run on which the starting location is located, and a lower run on which the waiting-for-deposition location is located. 
     
     
         2 . The system for depositing documents as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein it is designed to store the documents of a minimum of four boxes, the number of receiving locations being preferably equal to four. 
     
     
         3 . The system for depositing documents as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the advancing and storage means comprise endless parallel belts, each provided with at least one jogger and capable of advancing the sheets from one receiving location to the next, and barriers operated by actuators at the various receiving locations for retaining or releasing the sheets. 
     
     
         4 . The system for depositing documents as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a penultimate receiving location comprises a location preceding the waiting-for-deposition location and further comprises a barrier operated by an actuator and thus made movable in a reciprocating manner at high speed, this barrier being in particular moved in an opposite direction to a sheet-advancing direction in order to put the stacks of sheets back into a squared-up condition. 
     
     
         5 . The system for depositing documents as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein stapling means are provided at a final or waiting-for-deposition location, to unite sheets required to form one document, immediately prior to their transfer to the boxes. 
     
     
         6 . The system for depositing documents as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein stapling means are provided at the starting location, to unite sheets required to form one document immediately upon exit from the printer. 
     
     
         7 . The system for depositing documents as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein, at the final receiving location, the means for transferring the documents into the boxes take the form of a pusher actuator that moves each document flat and in a guided manner, until it arrives on top of the corresponding box.