Double envelope for standard production printing

Abstract

A method and apparatus includes / uses a media supply that maintains the media sheets and a printing engine that places markings on the sheets. The media sheets have multiple opposing partially formed envelopes. The markings placed have opposite orientations on the opposing envelopes. The apparatus also optionally includes a separator that separates the opposing partially formed envelopes after the printing engine places the marking, to leave partially formed individual envelopes. A folder device optionally folds the partially formed individual envelopes to produce completed individual envelopes.

Description

BACKGROUND SUMMARY[0001]Embodiments herein generally relate to electrostatographic printers and copiers or reproduction machines, and more particularly, concern a system and method of printing small envelopes, and more particularly, to systems and methods that use media sheets that have multiple opposing partially formed envelopes.[0002]Many companies are interested in providing customers with standard, low cost small envelopes (such as #10 envelopes) that can be easily processed through existing printing production products. Standard “off the shelf” #10 envelopes are only 4.125″ long. Standard nip spacing in a paper path of a printing device can be about 165 mm long (6.5″). Transporting such small envelopes through a paper path would require much closer nip spacing than the current standard nip spacing resulting in increased cost, power, and noise if printing products were manufactured to have smaller nip spacing. Feeding and stacking design would also see significant impacts in co...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a system and method for printing small envelopes, such as #10 envelopes, using a roller nip based sheet feeding system. The system uses media sheets that have multiple opposing partially formed envelopes, which are intended to be die cut and folded to produce pairs of individual envelopes with the same dimensions as a standard #10 envelope. The markings on the sheets have opposite orientations, and the system separates the sheets along a separating line to leave the partially formed individual envelopes. The folding device then folds the partially formed individual envelopes to produce the completed individual envelopes. The system uses large media sheets with multiple opposing partially formed envelopes, which would be too small if fed into the sheet feeding system. The technical effect of this system is that it allows for efficient and cost-effective printing of small envelopes with standard dimensions.

Problems solved by technology

Transporting such small envelopes through a paper path would require much closer nip spacing than the current standard nip spacing resulting in increased cost, power, and noise if printing products were manufactured to have smaller nip spacing.

Feeding and stacking design would also see significant impacts in cost, power, and noise if they were redesigned to handle small envelopes, since they are not currently designed to feed or stack papers of such a small size.

If the individual envelopes were fed into the sheet feeding system, they would be too small because the sheet feeding system has nip spacing larger than the individual envelopes.

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