EP1919717A2

EP1919717A2 - Method for making mailing covers and machine implementing said method

Info

Publication number: EP1919717A2
Application number: EP06778907A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Hubert Freyburger; Thierry Frebourg
Original assignee: Megaspirea Production Sas; MEGASPIREA PRODUCTION
Current assignee: Megaspirea Production Sas; MEGASPIREA PRODUCTION
Priority date: 2005-07-25
Filing date: 2006-07-24
Publication date: 2008-05-14
Also published as: CA2612910A1; IL188492A0; WO2007012740A3; FR2888774A1; JP2009502668A; BRPI0613913A2; WO2007012740A2; US20080172145A1

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for making personalized and unique mailing covers, providing a complete solution, integrating the manufacture of envelopes with that of documents to be enclosed, allowing work at high production rates, and ensuring integrity and confidentiality of the enclosures and reducing overall unit cost. The machine for manufacturing (1) mailing covers (100) comprises in particular a printing device (2) designed to print on a common paper web (10) the documents (13) to be enclosed and the envelopes (14) designed to contain the documents (13), in succession in the order of enclosing, each envelope being preceded or followed by the documents which it is meant to contain, a longitudinally cutting device (3) designed to place said documents (13) at the right width and to form the flaps (16) of the envelopes (14), a transversely cutting device (4) designed to separate the documents (13) and the envelopes (14) by placing them at the right length, a device for assembling (7, 8) the documents (13) with the envelope (14) corresponding thereto, a glueing and folding device (9) for closing the resulting mailing cover (100) and a central control unit which monitors the cutting devices based on the number and the format of the documents and the envelope of the mailing covers to be manufactured. The invention is applicable to batch mailing such as routing, transactional, hybrid mailing.

Description

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING COURT FOLDERS AND MACHINE USING THE SAME

Technical area :

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing mail folds from a width of material, especially paper or the like, to closed mail folds, each fold consisting of at least one printed document and a printed envelope , the number and the format of the documents and envelope that can vary from one fold to another, as well as a machine implementing this method.

Prior art:

Courier mailing machines, more or less automated, are widely used in companies that have to produce a large volume of mail, that is to say a few thousand items a day. This is particularly the case with banks, insurance companies, public bodies, mail-order companies, routing companies, and so on. It is commonly referred to as "routing", "transaction mail" or "hybrid mail". In the case of "routing", the documents sent are identical for a given advertising campaign and generally personalized with the identification of the recipient. For "transactional mail", each letter is unique, the documents it contains being personal and confidential for each recipient, such as statements of account, invoices, insurance policies, etc. In the case of "hybrid mail", each fold is unique since the content is generated by the person himself through the Internet through a company publishing and sending mail.

In the methods usually used, the data to be sent are printed on a roll of paper, such as the identification of the sender, his logo, identification of the recipient, text, tables and / or images. The width of paper is unwound, printed by any known printing means, such as laser, inkjet, offset, etc. then rewound in reel. The printed paper reel then feeds an enveloping machine which cross-cuts the width of paper into sheets, for example in A4 format, to form the documents to be enveloped. The various sheets composing the fold are grouped and sent to an insertion station. In parallel, the envelopes stored in a store are routed to the insertion station. These envelopes are manufactured separately and then printed with the sender's identification and logo. These are either window envelopes for viewing the recipient identification printed on the documents, or windowless envelopes requiring specific labeling to identify the recipient. In the insertion station, the envelope is opened to insert the document or documents previously folded in the envelope format. The envelope is then closed, glued and stamped. The mail fold thus manufactured is then placed on an outlet conveyor in ears or vertically before being shipped. Mail-in envelopes can be supplemented by any type of additional documents, such as leaflets and other advertising material printed in large numbers and stored in additional magazines supplying the insertion station. It is also possible to add a coding, by printing numbers, barcodes or the like on the envelope, to allow the tracking of the delivery of mail fold.

The current techniques are not optimal given the number of preparatory operations to be carried out to manufacture a closed mail fold ready to be shipped, namely to prepare and collect the documents to be sent on the one hand and the envelopes on the other hand. In addition, they do not guarantee the integrity of the folds thus manufactured, the documents inserted into the envelope are not necessarily the right ones, which pose confidentiality problems. Some techniques propose to print the documents and the envelopes after each other in the order of their enveloping, but the courier folds obtained are all identical, as in US 4,071,997; US 4,189,895; US 2003/0222127. No existing method makes it possible to make single mail folds, which differ from each other as well in terms of the format as the number of documents contained.

In conclusion, there is to date no method of manufacturing mail folds offering a complete solution, extending from the paper reel to mail fold closed, allowing the manufacture of personalized and unique mail folds.

Presentation of the invention

The present invention aims at overcoming these disadvantages by proposing such a method of manufacturing personalized and unique mailpieces, capable of offering a complete solution of the paper reel with a closed fold, integrating the manufacture of the envelopes with that of the documents, which allows to work at speeds higher than those currently possible, to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of the folds thus manufactured and reduce the overall unit cost of these mail folds.

For this purpose, the invention relates to a manufacturing method of the kind indicated in the preamble, in which the documents to be enveloped and the envelopes intended to hold the documents are printed on the same width of material, one after the the other in the order of enveloping, each envelope being preceded or followed by the document or documents which it must contain, the longitudinal edges of the width of material are cut to bring the documents to the correct width and to form the flaps of the envelopes, the width of the material is transversely cut to separate the documents and the envelopes from each other by putting them to the right length, the documents are assembled with the envelope which corresponds to them, the mail fold is closed thus obtained and at least the cutting steps are piloted as a function of the number and format of the documents and the envelope of the mailpieces to be manufactured.

The printing step of documents and envelopes can be carried out separately from the other steps or on the contrary in a continuous manner.

Two parallel strips of documents and envelopes can be printed on the same width of material to double the production.

Before the assembly step, the documents of the envelopes are advantageously separated into two separate circuits and the documents intended to be contained in the same envelope are superimposed in a package.

In the assembly step, the document or documents are superimposed on the corresponding envelope and folded simultaneously or folded first, in the envelope format, the document or documents intended to be contained in the same envelope. envelope and fold the envelope around folded documents.

Documents and envelopes may also be supplemented with additional documents prepared separately.

For this purpose also, the invention relates to a machine of manufacture of the kind indicated in the preamble, characterized in that it comprises at least one printing device arranged to print on the same width of material the documents to put under fold and envelopes for containing the documents, one after the other in the order of enveloping, each envelope being preceded or followed by the document or documents it must contain, a longitudinal cutting device arranged to to put the said documents to the right width and to form the flaps of the envelopes, a transverse cutting device arranged to separate the documents and .

the envelopes by putting them to the right length, a document assembly device with the envelope that corresponds to them, a gluing and folding device to close the mail fold obtained and a central control unit arranged to control at least the cutters according to the number and the format of the documents and the envelope of the courier folds to be manufactured.

The printing device can be separated from other devices or on the contrary integrated and in line with the other devices.

The assembly device preferably comprises at least one accumulator device arranged to separate the documents from the envelopes into two separate accumulation circuits and to superimpose the documents on the envelope that corresponds to them. If several documents are intended to be contained in the same envelope, then they are previously superimposed in a package.

According to a first variant embodiment, the assembly device comprises at least one folding device arranged to fold the documents and the envelope simultaneously.

According to a second variant embodiment, the accumulator device comprises a folding system arranged to fold the envelope of said documents in the format of the envelope and the assembly device comprises at least one folding device arranged for folding the envelope around said documents. plaice.

The enveloping device comprises at least one additional document store prepared separately, arranged to add at least one additional document to the documents and the envelope that corresponds to them. The manufacturing machine may be completed by a franking device closed mail folds, integrity control device or other.

Brief description of the drawings:

The present invention and its advantages will appear better in the following description of an embodiment given by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 schematically represents the manufacturing machine according to the invention, and

FIGS. 2A and 2B are top views of two widths of paper on which a strip and two strips of documents and envelopes are printed after each other.

Illustrations of the invention and best way to achieve it:

With reference to the figures, the manufacturing machine 1 of mailpieces 100, according to the invention, is designed to implement a new manufacturing process which mainly consists of: a) printing on the same width of material 10, in particular paper or similar, documents 13 to be enveloped and envelopes 14 intended to contain these documents 13, one after the other in the order of enveloping, each envelope 14 being preceded or followed by the documents it must contain, the number and the format of the documents and the envelope may vary from one fold to another, b) cut the longitudinal edges of this width of material 10 to put the documents 13 to the correct width and to form the side flaps 16 of the envelopes 14, c) crosswise cut the width of material 10 to separate the documents 13 and the envelopes 14 each other by putting them to the right length, the length of the documents 13 may be different from that of the envelopes 14, d) assemble the documents 13 with the envelope 14 which corresponds to them, e) close the mail fold 100 thus obtained to be ready for dispatch, and f) to control at least the cutting steps according to the number and format of the documents and the envelope of the mailpieces to be manufactured.

Each mail fold 100 consists of at least one document 13 printed in the form of a sheet in A4 format for example and a 14 envelope format

110x220, 162x229 for example or any other format.

For this purpose, this manufacturing machine 1 comprises at least the following working areas: a printing zone A in which is printed, in black and white as well as in colors, on a width of paper 10 running continuously documents 13 and the envelopes 14 in a predefined order, a cutting area B in which is formatted, in width and length, documents 13 and envelopes 14 having different dimensions, an assembly area C in which one or several documents 13 are assembled with a corresponding envelope 14 and folded simultaneously or not, a closing zone D in which the lateral flaps 16 and closing flaps 17 of the envelope 14 are glued and folded to close the closure envelope 14 around the documents 13, a storage area E in which the closed courier folds 100 are stored, checked and / or franked, before being dispatched, and a central control unit (not shown) arranged to steer at least the cutting steps according to the number and the format of the documents and the envelope of the courier folds to be manufactured.

The printing area A comprises in particular a printing device 2 fed by a blank paper reel carried by a reel (not shown) and delivering a width of printed paper 10 to the cutting area B. This device printing 2 is of known type based for example on a laser printing technique, jet ink, offset or the like, in black and white or in colors. This printing device 2 can be dissociated from the rest of the manufacturing machine 1 or on the contrary integrated as in the example illustrated. If it is disassociated, the width of printed paper is then re-conditioned in a reel by a winder, to feed the cutting zone B.

The cutting zone B comprises in particular a longitudinal cutting device 3 and a transverse cutting device 4. It can be completed by a creasing device 5 and a suction device 6.

The longitudinal cutting device 3 mainly comprises two cutting tools 30 cooperating with a counter-piece (not shown), arranged on each side of the paper web 10 and arranged to cut the longitudinal edges or selvedges of the paper web 10 for forming a strip of paper 11 in which the documents 13 are set to the correct width and the side flaps 16 of the envelopes 14 are created, the latter exceeding the width of the documents 13. This paper strip 11 is, therefore, defined by a longitudinal profile 12 variable, non-rectilinear and non-repetitive, the number and size of documents 13 and / or envelopes 14 may vary from one mail fold 100 to another. The longitudinal cutting device 3 is controlled by the central control unit driven according to the profiles 12 to be cut, the cutting width of the envelopes 14 being different from that of the documents 13, likewise these cutting widths may be different from one mail fold to another .

FIG. 2A illustrates a first sample of a width of paper 10 in which is cut a web 11 having two envelopes 14 and three documents 13. FIG. 2B illustrates a second sample of a width of 10 'paper in which are cut two strips 11, 11 'each comprising two envelopes 14 and three documents 13, offset with respect to each other, each strip 11, 11' having its profile 12, 12 'clean. In the case of a double width of paper 10 ', the longitudinal cutting device 3 is doubled, as are the creasing and suction devices 6.

The cross-cutting device 4 mainly comprises a rotary cylinder with a knife 40 cooperating with a counter cylinder 41, or any other similar cutting tool, arranged to separate the documents 13 from the envelopes 14 in order to feed the assembly zone C The transverse cutting device 4 is controlled by the central control unit driven according to the formats to be cut, the cutting length of the envelopes 14 being different from that of the documents 13, likewise these cutting lengths may be different from one fold mail to another.

The creasing device 5 located upstream of the longitudinal cutting device 3 mainly comprises two disks 50 cooperating with a counterpart 51, or any other similar system, arranged on either side of the paper web 10 and arranged to mark pre-fold 15 side flaps 16 envelopes 14 facilitating the subsequent folding operation. The suction device 6 mainly comprises suction nozzles 60 arranged near the cutting tools 30 for automatically discharging the waste paper generated by the longitudinal cutting device 3 towards a storage container via a central station. suction (not shown).

Of course, the printing zones A and B are supplemented by roller tensioner systems arranged to control both the tension and the positioning of the width of paper 10 to ensure good cutting accuracy.

The assembly zone C includes in particular an accumulator device 7 followed by an insertion device 8.

The storage device 7 comprises mainly two accumulation circuits 71, 72 dissociated and superimposed, powered by a sorting flap 70 arranged to separate the documents 13 envelopes 14 and direct each to an accumulation circuit. The documents 13 for a mail fold 100 are superimposed in a packet in the upper accumulation circuit 71 for example, while the corresponding envelope 14 is waiting in the accumulation circuit 72 below. The upper accumulation circuit 71 is, in the example shown, completed by a folding system 73 of the document 13 or of the superimposed document stack 13 to put them in the envelope 14 format. The two accumulation circuits 71 , 72 meet in the inserting device 8 where documents 13 folds are deposited on the envelope 14 not yet formed.

The folding device 8 mainly comprises a folding system 80 of the envelope 14 around the documents 13 folds. It may be supplemented by one or more magazines 81, 82 in which are stored additional documents 18, 19 which are added to documents 13 folds before closing envelope 14, circulating from one station to another by a conveyor belt 83. Of course, these stores 81, 82 may be located at other places of the manufacturing machine 1.

In an embodiment not shown, the accumulator device 7 does not include a document folding system 13 and the folding device 8 is arranged to simultaneously fold the documents 13 and the envelope 14, with or around possible additional documents 18, 19.

The closure zone D comprises in particular a device for gluing and folding 9 flaps 16, 17 of the envelope 14 to close the mail fold 100. This gluing and folding device 9 mainly comprises gluing nozzles 90 arranged to depositing glue on the side flaps 16 of the envelope 14 followed by folding ramps 91, 92 arranged to fold these side flaps 16 on or under the back of the envelope 14. It also comprises a gluing nozzle 93 arranged for depositing glue on the closure flap 17 followed by folding ramps 94, 95 arranged to fold the closure flap 17 on the back of the envelope 14 sealing the mail fold 100. The mail fold 100 being glued and The bender is transported from one station to the other by conveyor belt 96 and is conveyed to storage area E where it is stored before being shipped or directly routed to a shipping area (not shown). A franking device (not shown) of the mailpieces 100 combined with a weighing device can be integrated in the storage area E. Similarly, a control device (not shown) can complete this manufacturing machine 1 to verify the the integrity of the mailpieces 100, for example by means of a camera arranged to read codes printed on the envelope 14, of the OMR type, OCR, barcodes, etc.

Possibilities of industrial application: These working areas A to E preferably consist of independent modules facilitating their construction and assembly in a configuration adapted to each user, which gives the entire manufacturing machine 1 a great flexibility of adaptation. Similarly, these modules can be assembled one after the other to form a continuous manufacturing line as shown in Figure 1 or some modules can be separated from the others, thus forming a discontinuous line, such as the print area module A.

The control of the manufacturing machine 1 is provided by a central control unit (not shown) by means of a computer program corresponding to the profile 12 of paper web to be processed, supplemented or not by signals delivered by sensors arranged to detect markers printed on the width of paper 10 or on the paper strip 11 in order to identify the documents 13 and the envelopes 14. This computer program thus makes it possible to create any type of personalized and unique mail folds, the number and the format documents and envelope for each mail fold being variable and programmable data, which allows a great flexibility of creation.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described but extends to any modification and variation obvious to a person skilled in the art while remaining within the scope of protection defined in the appended claims.

Claims

claims

A method of manufacturing mail folds (100) from a width of material (10, 10 '), especially paper or the like, to closed mail folds, each mail fold (100) consisting of at least one printed document (13) and a printed envelope (14), the number and the format of the documents and of the envelope being able to vary from one fold to another, a process in which one prints on the same width of material (10, 10 ') the documents (13) to be enveloped and the envelopes (14) intended to contain the documents, one after the other in the order of enveloping, each envelope being preceded or followed by the document or documents it is to contain, the longitudinal edges of the width of material (10, 10 ') are cut to bring the documents (13) to the correct width and to form the flaps of the envelopes (14). transversely cutting the width of material (10, 10 ') to separate the documents (13) and the envelopes (14) from one another by placing them at the correct length, the documents (13) are assembled with the envelope (14) corresponding to them, the mail fold (100) thus obtained is closed and at least the cutting steps are piloted according to the number and the format of the documents and the envelope of the courier folds to be manufactured.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the step of printing documents and envelopes separately from the other steps of cutting, assembling and closing, forming a batch process.

3. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the step of printing documents and envelopes is carried out continuously with the other steps of cutting, assembling and closing, forming a continuous process.

4. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that one prints on the same width of material (10 ') two parallel strips (11, 11') of documents (13) and envelopes (14).

5. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that, before the assembly step, the documents (13) are separated from the envelopes (14) into two separate circuits.

6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that the documents (13) intended to be contained in the same envelope (14) are superimposed in a package.

7. Method according to claim 6, characterized in that, in the assembly step, the document or documents (13) are superimposed on the corresponding envelope (14) and in that the documents and the envelope.

8. A method according to claim 6, characterized in that one folds, the format of the envelope, the document or documents (13) intended to be contained in the same envelope (14).

9. Process according to claim 8, characterized in that, in the assembly step, the folded document or documents (13) are superimposed on the corresponding envelope (14) and that the envelope (14) around the documents (13).

10. Method according to one of claims 5 to 9, characterized in that it superimposes, to the documents (13) and the envelope (14), additional documents (18, 19) prepared separately.

11. Machine for manufacturing (1) mail folds (100) from a width of material (10), including paper or the like, to closed mail folds, each mail fold (100) consisting of least one printed document (13) and one envelope (14) printed, the number and the format of the documents and envelope may vary from one fold to another, this machine implementing the manufacturing method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises at least one printing device (2) arranged to print on one and the same width of material (10) the documents (13) to be enveloped and the envelopes (14) intended to contain the documents, one following each other in the order of enveloping, each envelope being preceded or followed by the document or documents it must contain, a longitudinal cutting device (3) arranged to put said documents (13) to the right width and to form the flaps (16) of the envelopes (14), a transverse cutting device (4) arranged to separate the documents (13) and the envelopes (14) by putting them to the right length, a device for assembly (7, 8) of the documents (13) with the envelope (14) which ur corresponds, a gluing and folding device (9) for closing the mail fold (100) obtained and a central control unit arranged to control at least the cutting devices according to the number and format of the documents and the envelope courier folds to manufacture.

12. Machine according to claim 11, characterized in that the printing device (2) is separated from other devices, forming a batch machine.

13. Machine according to claim 11, characterized in that the printing device (2) is integrated and in line with the other devices, forming a continuous manufacturing machine.

Machine according to claim 11, characterized in that the assembly device comprises at least one accumulator device (7) arranged to separate the documents (13) from the envelopes (14) in two accumulation circuits (71, 72). separate and superimposed the documents (13) with the envelope (14) which corresponds to them.

15. Machine according to claim 14, characterized in that the accumulator device (7) is arranged to pack superimposed documents (13) to be contained in the same envelope (14).

16. Machine according to one of claims 14 or 15, characterized in that the assembly device comprises at least one folding device (8) arranged to fold the documents (13) and the envelope (14) simultaneously .

17. Machine according to one of claims 14 or 15, characterized in that the storage device (7) comprises a folding system (73) arranged to fold the format of the envelope said documents (13) and in that the assembly device comprises at least one folding device (8) arranged to fold the envelope (14) around said documents (13) folded.

18. Machine according to claim 11, characterized in that it comprises at least one store (81, 82) of additional documents (18, 19) prepared separately, arranged to add at least one additional document to the documents (13) and to the envelope (14) corresponding to them.

19. Machine according to claim 11, characterized in that it comprises at least one complementary device selected from the group comprising a franking device courier folds (100) closed, a device for checking the integrity of mail folds ( 100) closed.