This invention relates to the handling of printed matter and stationary, such as letters, accounts, notices and all other such form of letter, which after having been printed on, in all kinds of printer or type-writer, need to be inserted into an envelope, suitable for distribution by local, national and international postal services.

The current invention has been developed in an effort to minimise the cost of folding and inserting all type of letter, in a machine small enough to fit on a desk top and insure that the correct article is inserted into it's correspondingly addressed envelope, and thereby eliminating the common fault of inserting the wrong letter into an envelope addressed to some other party, a further benefit of the current invention relates to the elimination of the many thousands of man-hours currently being utilized by industry and small business world-wide solely to the practice of folding and inserting all manner of printed output into conventional envelopes, thereby allowing for a more productive use of labour; the following particulars, pertaining to the current invention for an automated method of folding a letter of conventional appearance into an easy to open envelope which is sealed automatically ready for mailing, are made hereinafter.

Blank or pre-printed paper, pre-cut to the correct shape and perforated in the correct configuration and pre-coated with a suitable contact adhesive which when applied in the required pattern and then folded and ejected by the folding machine, which is also a subject of this invention, will emulate a conventional letter inside an envelope, the said pre-cut paper must, at the same time, be suitable for simple packaging and storage with trouble free delivery through a printing device without the risk of bonding to itself in transit or storage, or fouling the printing device or indeed the folding mechanism within the said letter folder.

A folding machine which accepts the aforesaid pre-cut paper and which may be a stand-alone machine which accepts output from existing printer devices , or may be built into new printer or type-writer devices and which folds the aforesaid pre-cut paper after it has passed through the printing device in such a manner as to produce an addressed and sealed envelope containing a letter of conventional appearance within the aforesaid sealed envelope.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET

A number of means to extract and compress the folded article were tested including rollers with varying surfaces but due to the variations of paper stock and the effect of varying humidity conditions world wide the means of extraction depicted in this application center on flat compression technique but the simpler implementation of extraction by means of simple rollers is deemed as included in this application.

In order that this invention may be more readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate typical embodiments of the present invention, and wherein:-

FIG.1 is a pictorial view of one style of stationary which adheres to the principles of this invention and is in a pre-printed format, showing one face of the aforesaid pre-cut paper and illustrating the pattern of application of the contact-adhesive and the attitude of the lines of perforations applied to the aforesaid pre-cut paper, which when passed through the said letter folder will produce a letter of conventional appearance, folded and inserted in an easy to open envelope, which has been addressed and sealed and is ready for . posting-

REFERRING TO FIG 1 , it will be seen that the letter portion "A" of the aforesaid pre-cut paper is a pre-printed sheet of paper displaying a company logo and company address along with a suitable page design and adjoins the envelope section "B" by means of a line of perforations "E1 ". The aforesaid envelope section "B" is also pre-printed with a company logo and return address. A memo strip "F" is attached to the aforesaid envelope section "B" by means of a line of perforations "E5" and may be utilized for record purposes and filed as reference of dispatched mail. Further lines of perforations "E2", "E3" and "E4" are employed so as to form, in association with the aforesaid perforations "E1" and "E5", an easy to remove tear off section on the top portion the finished article as will become apparent. The diagonally hatched portions "D" show the location of contact adhesive which Is applied only on the reverse side of the paper, the aforesaid contact adhesive is sensitive only to contact with further sections coated with the same adhesive and will not bond to plain paper. The cross hatched portion "C", between perforation lines "E1 " and "E2", is coated with the said contact adhesive on both sides of the paper so that when folded in the correct attitude bonding occurs between the desired sections to form a letter within a sealed

SUBSTITUTE SHEET

envelope. The pattern of application of the aforesaid contact adhesive is such that if the pre-cut paper as depicted in the drawing "FIG.1" is produced end to end in a continious configuration joined by a further line of perforations (not shown) and folded for easy storage within a box it will not bond to itself prior to use.

BLANK FORMS AND FORMS PRE-PRINTED AND PRE-CUT FOR OTHER APPLICATIONS ARE ALSO A SUBJECT OF THIS INVENTION,

FIG. 2 and FIG.3 show a number of pictorial frames marked "A", ^,, B","C","D","E","F","G" & "H" so as to illustrate the stage by stage processes performed by the folding machine on the aforesaid pre-printed and pre-cut paper.

REFERRING TO FIG 2, FRAME A; On exit from the printing device (not shown) the pre-cut paper "A" is fed into the folding machine until the leading edge touches a sensor "x".

REFERRING TO FIG 2, FRAME B; On contact with the aforesaid sensor "x", which can be a mechanical micro-switch or light activated electronic switch or simular, the extended gripping flap "b" is moved into a closed attitude in relation to the main blade "c" which is an extension of, or attached to, a rotor "d", so as to firmly grip the pre-cut paper "a" and the whole assembly comprising of the rotor "d", the main blade "c" and the extended gripping flap "b" begins to rotate, drawing the pre-cut paper "a" into the folding machine assembly.

REFERRING TO FIG 2, FRAME C and FRAME D; The whole assembly comprising of the rotor "d", the main blade "c" and the extended gripping flap "b" is then rotated thereby forming the paper "a" around the external periphery of the main blade "c", forming the first required fold, fold "f1".

REFERRING TO FIG 3, FRAME E; The aforesaid whole assembly is further rotated until a second fold, fold "f2"is formed on the pre-cut paper "a".

REFERRING TO FIG.3, FRAME F; The pre-cut paper "a" is now shown with the letter portion (narrower portion) of the aforesaid pre-cut paper "a" folded twice, forming three flat sections "L1 ", "L2" and "L3" with the third fold "f3" around the periphery of extended gripping flap "b" forming a cavity within the aforesaid envelope portion in the region between the lines of perforations

SUBSTITUTE SHEET

"E1", "E2" and "E3" as shown in FIG.1 , thus allowing for contact of the pre- coated surfaces within this area on removal from the folding assembly.

REFERRING TO FIG.3, FRAME G; The aforesaid pre-cut paper "a" is now shown folded four times over the aforesaid folding assembly and the pre- coated section of the pre-cut paper "a" which is between the two lines of perforations "E4" and E5" as shown in FIG.1 now bonds on contact with the outer pre-coated section between the lines of perforations "E1" and "E2" which is coated on both sides as shown in FIG.1 , forming an envelope section which is larger than the folded letter portion thereby allowing the perforated top section of the envelope to be sealed on removal from the aforesaid folding assembly creating an easily removable top strip on the finished envelope which when detached by tearing along the combined lines of perforations also acts to release the letter portion, producing a letter of conventional appearance.

REFERRING TO FIG.3, FRAME H; With the folding process now completed the memo strip "F", described in FIG.1 , may be detached for future reference and the folded letter in the envelope is ready to be extracted off the folding assembly.

REFERRING TO FIG 4; This cross section view shows the intermeshed gears "H" and "H1 " which when rotated move the clamping extractor assemblies "J" and "J1" by means of the offset pins "K" and "K1". The aforesaid clamping extractor assemblies "J" and "J1" are carried in path of conflict when the said offset pins "K" and "K1" are in closer proximity due to the rotation of the intermeshed gears "H" and "H1" which produces a combined clamping and dragging action on the folded paper "a" which overhangs the aforesaid folding assembly "D". Compression springs "S" and "S1" act to keep the clamping assemblies "J" and "J1" in an open attitude when the duty cycle of the aforesaid clamping extractor assemblies "J" and J1" is in its "open phase".

REFERRING TO FIG 5; The aforesaid clamping extractor assemblies "J" and "J1" are shown starting to compress the leading edge of the folded paper "a" thereby sealing the leading edge of the envelope section and beginning to draw the folded letter and envelope off the aforesaid folding assembly "D".

SUBSTITUTE SHEET

REFERRING TO FIG 5; The aforesaid clamping extractor assemblies "J" and "J1 " are shown starting to compress the leading edge of the folded paper "a" thereby sealing the leading edge of the envelope section and beginning to draw the folded letter and envelope off the aforesaid folding assembly "D".

REFERRING TO FIG 6; The aforesaid clamping extractor assemblies "J" and "J1" are shown having compressed the leading edge of the folded letter and envelope "a", and having drawn the folded letter and envelope "a", a portion of the way into the clamping path, are now shown starting the next cycle of the clamping and extracting phase.

REFERRING TO FIG 7; The aforesaid clamping extractor assemblies "J" and "J1 " are shown having moved through a further part of the duty cycle and are about to compress a further portion of the folded letter and envelope "a", and draw the folded letter and envelope "a" further through the aforesaid clamping extractor assemblies "J" and "J1".

REFERRING TO FIG 8; The aforesaid clamping extractor assemblies "J" and "J1" are shown having moved yet further through part of the duty cycle and are clamping and moving the folded letter and envelope "a" further out of the extractor portion of the letter folder which is the subject of this invention.

REFERRING TO FIG 9; The aforesaid clamping extractor assemblies "J" and "J1" are shown having moved yet further through part of the duty cycle and are clamping and moving the folded letter and envelope "a" further out of the extractor portion of the letter folder which is the subject of this invention and illustrate along with the prior diagrams of this phase how, by rotating the intermeshed gears "H" and "H1" through the required number of rotations, the folded letter and envelope "a" is removed off the the aforesaid folding assembly "D" and compressed so as to seal the envelope section by applying pressure to the mating surfaces of aforesaid contact adhesive coated portions of the pre-cut paper which forms the letter in an envelope which is a subject of this invention.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET

REFERRING TO FIG 10; The aforesaid clamping extractor assemblies "J" and "J1" are shown having moved yet further through part of the duty cycle and have clamped and moved the folded letter and envelope "a" further out of the extractor portion of the letter folder which is the subject of this invention.

REFERRING TO FIG 11 ; This is an exploded view of the clamping extractor assembly, where the gears "H", "H1 " and "H2", "H3" are rotated in meshed contact so that they turn at a uniform rate in opposing pairs. The axles "K" and "K1 " form cranking shafts which are drawn together and apart by means of rotating the aforesaid gears. The action of advancing the cranking shafts "K" and "K1" in the direction of the arrows depicted near the gears "H" and ■ "H1" carries the clamping extractors "J" and "J1 " in a forward direction while at the same time bringing the surfaces "P" and "P1 " closer together. The surfaces "P" and "P1" would preferably be of a rubberised nature to assist in gripping and also to adjust to variation in thickness of the folded paper which is not shown.

The springs "S" and "S1" ("S1" is not shown) act to force the clamping extractors "J" and "J1" to be in their compressed attitude for one half the rotation of the gears so that extraction is performed for at least half the duty cycle of one rotation of the cranking shafts "K" and "K1". A retaining guide "Q" retains the guide pins "R" and "R1 " so as to keep the surfaces "P" and "P1" in a parallel attitude throughout their path of travel.

It will of course be understood that the above has been given by way of illustrative example of the present invention and that all such modifications and variation thereto as should be apparent to persons skilled in the art and are deemed to fail within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as is defined in the appended claims.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET