Insertion device and insertion device management system

Abstract

To provide a feeding device that can reduce labor to set the amount of protrusion of a separation member that accelerates separation of some sheet materials fed by feeding means from other sheet materials.SOLUTION: A feeding device includes a storage part that stores a bundle of advertisement sets, feeding means for feeding the advertisement set PS one set at a time from the advertisement set bundle inside the storage part, and a separating claw 70 that protrudes into a feeding path through which the advertising sets PS fed from the storage part pass and accelerates separation of one advertising set PS fed by the feeding means from other advertising sets PS, wherein a protruding amount of the separating claw 70 in the feeding passage path can be changed. The feeding device is provided with an advertisement set clamping part 80 that clamps the advertisement sets PS with two clamping members which are a clamping fixed roller 81 and a clamping moving roller 82, and a separation claw height adjustment mechanism 90 that changes the protruding amount of the separation claw 70 in conjunction with a change in the distance between the two clamping members.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to , medium an inserting device and the in-store device management system .

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, newspapers distributed to distribution points such as houses are often distributed with a plurality of folded advertising printed materials called folded leaflets (hereinafter referred to as "advertising sets") folded therein. An inserting device called an inserter is known that inserts an advertising set inside a four-folded newspaper and makes the newspaper have the advertising set folded therein (for example, the "sheet bundle creating part" of the "butt joint device" described in Patent Document 1).

[0003] In an inserting device such as that of Patent Document 1, an advertising set bundle in which a plurality of sets of advertising sets are stacked upright is loaded on an advertising feed table, and one set at a time is fed in order from the innermost advertising set of the advertising set bundle, and conveyed toward an insertion part that inserts the advertising set into the newspaper. When feeding, the back surface of the innermost advertising set to be fed is adsorbed by a suction pad, and by moving the suction pad, the advertising set to be fed is bent and drawn into the device, and the lower end of the advertising set is guided to a position where it is sandwiched by the nip of a pair of feed rollers, and is fed toward the insertion part by the rotation of the pair of feed rollers. As such an inserting device, there is one provided with a separating claw that protrudes from below into a passage through which an advertising set adsorbed by a suction pad passes when being drawn into the device, contacts the lower end of the fed advertising set, and promotes separation from other advertising sets (such as the inserter "DI-320GS" manufactured by Duplo Corporation). In this inserting device, since the appropriate protruding amount of the separating claw varies depending on the thickness of the advertising set loaded on the advertising feed table, it is provided with an adjustment mechanism for the user to adjust the protruding amount according to the thickness of the advertising set.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-87087 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] Medium In the input device, It is desirable to reduce the number of visits made by service technicians and other maintenance managers to user sites. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, The first invention of this application provides an insertion device management system comprising: an insertion device that transports a folded first sheet material and inserts a second sheet material into a gap formed by opening the opposite side of the fold of the first sheet material, thereby forming an inserted sheet material with the second sheet material sandwiched between the first sheet material; an external information processing means that acquires and stores device information transmitted from the insertion device via an internet line; and a management terminal that can check the device information stored in the external information processing means, wherein the insertion device includes a transmission means that transmits device information, including at least one of the cumulative number of insertions, the number of errors, and the number of occurrences for each type of error, to the external information processing means via an internet line; the control unit of the insertion device transmits error information to the external information processing means when the operation of the insertion device stops; and the external information processing means transmits the received error information to the management terminal at predetermined intervals. Furthermore, other applications The invention relates to an interlocking device that transports a folded first sheet material and inserts a second sheet material into a gap formed by opening the opposite side of the fold of the first sheet material, thereby forming an interlocked sheet material in which the second sheet material is sandwiched between the first sheet material, and comprises a transmission means for transmitting device information, including at least one of the cumulative number of interlocking operations performed by the interlocking device, the number of errors that have occurred, and the number of occurrences of each type of error, to an external information processing means via an internet line. The second sheet material is a collated bundle formed by collating multiple sheets of sheet material in the thickness direction, and the receiving means receives information about the inserting device, including information about the number of collated parts input in the collating process that created the collated bundle, from the external information processing means via the internet line. This invention provides an internal insertion device characterized by the following: [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, This will reduce the number of visits required by service technicians and other maintenance personnel to users of the internal equipment. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] External perspective view of the inlet system of this embodiment. [Figure 2] An explanatory diagram of the operation of the internal entry system of this embodiment. [Figure 3] A block diagram showing the functional configuration of the internal system. [Figure 4] Enlarged diagram of the advertising paper feeding section. [Figure 5]Perspective explanatory view of the vicinity of the advertising paper feeding mechanism in the advertising paper loading section of the advertising paper part. [Figure 6] Cross-sectional explanatory view of the advertising paper feeding mechanism. [Figure 7] Cross-sectional explanatory view of the advertising paper feeding mechanism in a state where the suction pad has reached the position where it adsorbs to the advertising set. [Figure 8] Cross-sectional explanatory view of the advertising paper feeding mechanism in a state where the suction pad has drawn in the advertising set to be fed. [Figure 9] Cross-sectional explanatory view of the advertising paper feeding mechanism in a state where the advertising set to be fed drawn in by the suction pad is sandwiched between the paper feeding drive roller and the paper feeding driven roller. [Figure 10] Explanatory view of the adjustment of the protruding amount of the separation claw. [Figure 11] Explanatory view of the separation claw height adjustment mechanism. [Figure 12] Operation explanatory view of the separation claw height adjustment mechanism.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, the same or equivalent components, members, and processes shown in each drawing are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted as appropriate. In addition, the dimensions of the members in each drawing are shown enlarged or reduced as appropriate for easy understanding. Also, some members that are not important for explaining the embodiments in each drawing are omitted from the display.

[0010] (Hereinafter, an embodiment of an inserter device including a feeding device according to the present invention will be described.

[0011] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an insertion system 100 including an inserter 1 which is an insertion device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an operation explanatory view schematically showing an insertion operation by the insertion system 100 shown in FIG. 1. The insertion system 100 is used in a newspaper vending store or the like. The insertion system 100 inserts an advertising set in which a plurality of advertising prints are bundled into a four-fold newspaper to create an inserted newspaper in which the advertising set is folded. The advertising prints to be inserted into the newspaper are not limited to a plurality of sheets, and a single advertising print may also be used. The following will explain, by way of example, the case where the used newspapers to be delivered to Area A are prepared in a predetermined number of copies (for example, 200 copies = 50 copies × 4 bundles), and subsequently, the used newspapers to be delivered to Area B are prepared in a predetermined number of copies (for example, 280 copies = 60 copies × 4 bundles + 40 copies × 1 bundle). Also, hereinafter, the process of preparing the used newspapers in a predetermined number of copies to be delivered to each area is referred to as a "job".

[0012] The used paper system 100 includes an inserter 1 which is a used paper processing unit, a discharge unit 2 which is a direction changing unit, and a lift-up stacker 3 which is a post-insertion loading unit. The inserter 1 opens the final fold of the four-fold newspaper, inserts an advertisement set into the opened gap, and sandwiches it. The used paper process of inserting and sandwiching the advertisement set into the newspaper is also called "fitting". The inserter 1 includes a newspaper paper supply unit 10, an advertisement paper supply unit 11, an operation unit 41, a newspaper conveyance unit 17, a newspaper opening unit 18, and an advertisement insertion unit 19. The newspaper paper supply unit 10 includes a newspaper loading unit 14 and a newspaper paper supply mechanism 42 (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2), and the advertisement paper supply unit 11 includes an advertisement loading unit 15 and an advertisement paper supply mechanism 16.

[0013] The operation unit 41 includes a display unit (for example, a liquid crystal panel) integrally formed with an input unit (for example, a touch pad). On the display unit of the operation unit 41, a screen for setting, for example, job-related settings is displayed. The operator inputs the settings related to the job, that is, the "number of copies" and "sorting number of copies" of the newspaper for which the used paper process is to be performed, via this screen. The "sorting number of copies" means how many copies of the used newspapers are stacked together to create a bundle of used newspapers. For example, in the job settings for Area A, "number of copies = 200 copies" and "sorting number of copies = 50 copies" are input. In this case, 4 bundles of used newspapers including 50 copies of used newspapers are created. Also, for example, in the job settings for Area B, "number of copies = 280 copies" and "sorting number of copies = 60 copies" are input. In this case, 4 bundles of used newspapers including 60 copies of used newspapers and 1 bundle of used newspapers including 40 copies of used newspapers are created.

[0014] Multiple newspapers folded into quarters are stacked in the newspaper stacking section 14 of the newspaper feeding section 10. The newspaper feeding mechanism 42 is located below the newspaper stacking section 14. The newspaper feeding mechanism 42 takes newspapers one by one from the newspaper stacking section 14 and sends them to the newspaper transport section 17. The newspaper transport section 17 has a circulating transport chain 20 and transport wheels 21 connected to it. The newspaper transport section 17 uses these transport wheels 21 to push the newspapers and transport them to the newspaper opening section 18 and then to the advertisement insertion section 19.

[0015] The newspaper opening section 18 includes an opening rotor 23 with an opening suction pad 22 on its outer circumference, and an opening guide (not shown) provided downstream of the opening rotor 23. Newspapers fed from the newspaper transport section 17 are opened at the upper end on the leading edge side in the transport direction by the opening suction pad 22. As the transport frame 21 moves further, the opening guide 24 enters the opened portion of the newspaper, and the newspaper is kept open and transported toward the advertisement insertion section 19.

[0016] The advertising stacking unit 15 stacks multiple advertising sets, each consisting of multiple printed advertising sheets sandwiched between folded printed advertising sheets as a delivery unit. The advertising stacking unit 15 has a front panel 25 and a stacking platform 26, and the bundle of advertising sets, which consists of multiple sets stacked on top of each other, is loaded onto the stacking platform 26 so as to lean against the front panel 25. The bundle of advertising sets is loaded so that the folds of the folded printed advertising sheets that make up each advertising set face downwards.

[0017] The advertising paper feeding mechanism 16 is located below the front panel 25. The advertising paper feeding mechanism 16 takes out advertising sets one by one from the advertising stacking section 15 and sends them to the advertising insertion section 19. In the advertising insertion section 19, the advertising sets sent out from the advertising paper feeding mechanism 16 are inserted between newspapers that are opened by an opening guide. The newspapers with the inserted advertising sets are pushed by the transport wheel 21 and sent to the discharge unit 2.

[0018] The discharge unit 2 changes the conveying direction of the loaded newspapers by 90°. In this embodiment, the discharge unit 2 conveys newspapers that were conveyed in the longitudinal direction (parallel to the final fold) in the short direction (perpendicular to the final fold). The newspapers whose conveying direction has been changed are pushed out by the discharge pusher 28 fixed to the discharge chain 27 and sent towards the lift-up stacker 3.

[0019] The in-package system 100 includes a lift-up conveyor 29 between the discharge unit 2 and the lift-up stacker 3, and a stack conveyor 31 downstream of the lift-up stacker 3. The lift-up conveyor 29 lifts the in-package newspapers sent out from the discharge unit 2 and transports them to the top of the lift-up stacker 3.

[0020] The lift-up stacker 3 includes a temporary receiving section 32, a receiving section 33 for stacked newspapers, a stacker discharge belt 34, and a full sensor (not shown). The receiving section 33 for stacked newspapers has a comb-like shape. The receiving section 33 for stacked newspapers lowers by the thickness of the newspaper each time a newspaper is stacked. It is configured to lower by, for example, a drive mechanism (not shown). This maintains the uppermost surface of the stacked stacked newspapers at a substantially constant position.

[0021] The pre-packaged newspaper bundle receiving unit 33 stacks pre-packaged newspapers in the "number of copies to be sorted" specified by the worker (50 copies for jobs in area A, 60 copies for jobs in area B) to form a bundle of pre-packaged newspapers, and then sends this bundle to the stack conveyor 31. Specifically, when the stacked pre-packaged newspapers reach a predetermined number, the four temporary receiving rollers 36 of the temporary receiving unit 32 advance onto the bundle of pre-packaged newspapers and receive the pre-packaged newspapers in place of the pre-packaged newspaper bundle receiving unit 33 (see Figure 2). During this time, the pre-packaged newspaper bundle receiving unit 33 descends, and the stacker discharge belt 34 enters between the teeth of its comb-like structure, and the bundle of pre-packaged newspapers is loaded onto the stacker discharge belt 34. Subsequently, the stacker discharge belt 34 is driven and the bundle of pre-packaged newspapers is sent to the stack conveyor 31.

[0022] The pre-loaded newspaper bundle receiving unit 33 rises when it sends the pre-loaded newspaper bundles to the stack conveyor 31. After rising, the temporary receiving roller 36 transfers the pre-loaded newspapers that were stacked on it to the pre-loaded newspaper bundle receiving unit 33 and then retracts from above the pre-loaded newspaper bundle receiving unit 33. After the temporary receiving roller 36 retracts, newspapers sent from the lift-up conveyor 29 are stacked on top of the pre-loaded newspaper bundle receiving unit 33. Hereafter, this series of processes by the temporary receiving unit 32 and the pre-loaded newspaper bundle receiving unit 33 will be called the "stack discharge process".

[0023] The full sensor detects when the stacked newspaper bundle receiving section 33 becomes full (for example, when 100 stacked newspapers are placed in the stacked newspaper bundle receiving section 33). Such a full sensor is composed of, for example, an optical sensor that turns "ON" when the stacked newspaper bundle receiving section 33 descends to a predetermined position. The stack discharge process is also executed when the full sensor detects that the stacked newspaper bundle receiving section 33 is full.

[0024] Furthermore, the stack discharge process is also executed when the final bundle of newspapers for a job is loaded into the bundle of newspapers receiving unit 33. In this case, the stack discharge process is executed even if the bundle of newspapers receiving unit 33 is not full, and even if the number of newspapers loaded into the bundle of newspapers receiving unit 33 has not reached the "number of copies to be sorted". The stack conveyor 31 is equipped with numerous rollers 40 arranged in a row. When a new bundle of newspapers that has been loaded is sent out from the lift-up stacker 3, the multiple bundles of newspapers that have already been sent out and lined up are pushed and move along the rollers 40.

[0025] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the internal system 100. The internal input system 100 comprises a control unit 52 that controls the entire system, a reception unit 50, a display unit control unit 51, a determination unit 53, a storage unit 54, and a communication unit 201. Each block shown in Figure 3 can be realized in hardware terms by elements and mechanical devices such as a computer CPU, and in software terms by computer programs, etc., but here, the functional blocks that are realized through the cooperation of these are depicted. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by combinations of hardware and software.

[0026] The control unit 52 controls the operation of each part of the inserter 1, discharge unit 2, lift-up conveyor 29, lift-up stacker 3, and stack conveyor 31 to create a bundle of inserted newspapers in which the advertising sets have been folded into the newspapers.

[0027] The reception unit 50 receives information entered by the operator via the operation unit 41. The reception unit 50 includes the job information reception unit 55 and the next job information reception unit 56. The job information reception unit 55 receives information about jobs to be performed when no jobs have been performed. Specifically, the job information reception unit 55 receives the number of newspapers to be processed and registers this as "Number of Copies Na1" in the number of copies to be stored 57. If the number of copies to be sorted has been entered, the job information reception unit 55 also receives this and registers it as "Number of Copies Sorted Nb1" in the number of copies sorted 59.

[0028] The next job information receiving unit 56 receives information about the next job to be performed while a job is running. Specifically, the next job information receiving unit 56 receives the number of newspapers to be collated and registers this as "next number of copies Na2" in the next number of copies storage unit 58. If the number of copies to be sorted has been entered, the next job information receiving unit 56 also receives this and registers it as "next sorted number of copies Nb2" in the next sorted number of copies storage unit 60.

[0029] The display control unit 51 provides various display screens to the operator via the display unit of the operation unit 41. For example, it provides a display screen for setting information related to a job.

[0030] The determination unit 53 determines whether the number of copies processed for insertion has reached the current number of copies Na1. If the number of copies processed for insertion has reached the current number of copies Na1, the determination unit 53 determines whether information regarding the next job to be executed has been entered.

[0031] The memory unit 54 includes a current copy storage unit 57, a next copy storage unit 58, a current sorted copy storage unit 59, a next sorted copy storage unit 60, a copy counter 61, and a sorted copy counter 62. The current copy storage unit 57 stores the current copy Na1. The next copy storage unit 58 stores the next copy Na2. The sorted copy storage unit 59 stores the current sorted copy Nb1. The next sorted copy storage unit 60 stores the next sorted copy Nb2. The copy counter 61 stores the number of newspapers processed from the start of the job until then as the copy count value Na. The sorted copy counter 62 stores the number of newspapers processed from the start of the sorted copy (or from the start of the job in the case of the start of the job) until then as the sorted copy count value Nb.

[0032] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the internal system 100 is equipped with a communication unit 201, and the control unit 52 is capable of data communication with the management server 205 and the management terminal 206 via the internet line 204. The control unit 52 controls the operation of each unit based on the control program stored in the storage unit 54, and also communicates with the management server 205 and the management terminal 206 via the internet line 204.

[0033] Device information held by the internal system 100 is transmitted from the control unit 52 to the communication unit 201, from the communication unit 201 to the Wi-Fi router 202 via the Wi-Fi line, and then to the modem 203. The modem 203 transmits the device information held by the internal system 100 to the management server 205 via the internet line 204, and the management server 205 stores the received device information as needed. The stored device information can be checked by maintenance personnel, etc., on the management terminal 206. In addition, the control unit 52 can obtain information about the internal system 100 held by the management server 205 (such as control program update information) via the aforementioned internet line 204, etc., and can also transmit input information from the management terminal 206 to the control unit 52 via the aforementioned internet line 204, etc. The management server 205 is not limited to a server device owned by the administrator, but may also use a publicly known cloud service platform.

[0034] The device information that the internal system 100 transmits to the management server 205, an external device, includes past operational information of the internal system 100. This operational information can include a cumulative counter showing the total number of internal operations, the number of errors that occurred, and the number of occurrences for each type of error. This allows maintenance managers to respond quickly when errors occur, take preventative measures before errors occur, and replace consumables before they are completely worn out.

[0035] Error information is sent from the control unit 52 to the management server 205 each time the operation of the internal system 100 stops. Error information is sent from the management server 205 to the management terminal 206 at predetermined intervals, such as every hour, summarizing the error information received from the control unit 52 since the last transmission to the management terminal 206. It is desirable that the predetermined interval for transmission to the management terminal 206 be changed as appropriate by the user and administrator.

[0036] Another possible timing for sending error information is to send it all at once when power is turned on to the power supply to the power supply system 100. However, this other timing may cause the following problems. In other words, when the Nakairi System 100 is used in newspaper distribution centers, work is often performed from late night to early morning. Therefore, if a problem occurs during work performed from late night to early morning, maintenance is required during the daytime on the same day as the early morning. If the system is configured to send error information all at once when the power is turned on, the error information will be sent when the power is turned on from late night on the same day to early morning the following day, rendering the device unusable for a day. Also, if the system is configured to send error information when the power is turned off, depending on the network environment, it may take time to send the error information, and the information may not be sent in its entirety. Another example of when to send error information is to monitor the error information in real time on the management terminal 206. However, if errors that can be resolved by the user occur frequently, receiving error information on the management terminal 206 every time an error occurs may cause the management screen to become difficult to view.

[0037] In contrast to the two other examples mentioned above, with a configuration like this embodiment, where error information is sent to the management terminal 206 at predetermined intervals (e.g., every hour), information can be acquired at a frequency close to real-time, preventing a one-day delay in sending error information.

[0038] Furthermore, the management server 205 or management terminal 206 is equipped with an alert function that displays an alert instructing a service technician to visit the in-house system 100 and confirm the need for maintenance, based on the received error information. The control unit 52 of the internal system 100 only transmits error information and operational information and does not make any alert decisions. Instead, it stores the error information received by the management server 205 or management terminal 206 and displays an alert on the management screen of the management terminal 206 when the conditions are met. It is desirable that the conditions for displaying this alert can be changed as appropriate by the administrator.

[0039] Furthermore, a service call button may be provided in the internal access system 100. When this service call button is pressed, the information is transmitted to the management terminal 206 via the internet line 204, etc., and the management screen of the management terminal 206 displays that the service call button has been pressed. Traditionally, when a problem occurred in the internal access system 100, the main course of action was to call the call center. However, there are cases where the call center cannot handle the problem, and the call center may only act as a liaison between the user and the administrator. In contrast, with the service call button described above, an administrator who can handle any problem can check the error information and operational information up to the point when the service call button is pressed, predict the state of the problem to some extent, and then contact the user.

[0040] Furthermore, the various types of information received by the reception unit 50 and stored in the storage unit 54 may be configured to be input via the internet line 204. Furthermore, the in-package system 100 often uses collated bundles of advertising printed materials, collated using a collation device described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-38628 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-095296, as advertising sets PS for in-package distribution. When the in-package system 100 creates a number of "current copies Na1" of newspapers with in-package distribution to be delivered to a certain delivery area α, and a number of "next copies Na2" of newspapers with in-package distribution to be delivered to another delivery area β, the collation device creates a collated bundle of advertising printed materials to be delivered to delivery area α and a collated bundle of advertising printed materials to be delivered to delivery area β, respectively. Furthermore, the "number of copies to be collated" described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-095296 is the number of collated bundles to be delivered to each area. The "number of copies to be collated" for delivery area α is the same as the "number of copies this time Na1," and the "number of copies to be collated" for delivery area β is the same as the "number of copies next time Na2." Thus, since the number of collated bundles collated by the collation device and the number of copies processed by the inserting system 100 often match, it is desirable that the numerical value entered into the collation device be automatically entered into the inserting system 100.

[0041] Therefore, the collating machine and the inserting system 100 used in the same store are linked and managed on the management server 205. If information related to the inserting process in the inserting system 100 (such as the number of copies to be collated) is entered as information related to the collating job of the collating machine, that information is sent from the management server 205 to the control unit 52 of the inserting system 100 as information related to the job to be performed in the inserting system 100 (such as "number of copies this time Na1" or "number of copies next time Na2"). The control unit 52 then stores the received information in the storage unit 54. The configuration for sharing job-related information between the interlocking system 100 and the collating device is not limited to a configuration via the internet line 204. For example, the interlocking system 100 and the collating device may be connected by a wire to share information. Furthermore, if a tablet terminal that can be separated from the collating device is used as the operation unit for the collating device, the tablet terminal and the control unit 52 may communicate by wire or wirelessly to share information. In this configuration, where the interlocking system 100 and the collating device share information about the job, the effort required to input common information can be eliminated.

[0042] Furthermore, the internal system 100 of this embodiment is configured to allow the download of update programs for the control program that controls the control unit 52 from the management server 205 via the internet line 204. In this configuration, where update programs for the control program can be obtained from an external information processing means such as the management server 205 via a communication network such as the internet line 204, the number of visits by service technicians to user sites can be reduced, thereby saving both time and money.

[0043] Next, an advertisement paper feeding unit 11 equipped with the configuration of the feeding device according to the present invention will be described. Figure 4 is an enlarged explanatory diagram of the advertising paper feeding section 11 in the inserter 1 shown in Figure 1, and Figure 5 is a perspective explanatory diagram of the vicinity of the advertising paper feeding mechanism 16 in the advertising stacking section 15 of the advertising paper feeding section 11, viewed from the upper right in Figure 4. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional explanatory diagram of the advertising paper feeding mechanism 16 viewed from the downstream side in the newspaper transport direction (the side of the discharge unit 2). Figures 4 and 5 show the state in which no advertising sets PS are loaded in the advertising stacking section 15, while Figure 6 shows the state in which a bundle of advertising sets consisting of multiple sets of advertising sets PS is loaded.

[0044] The advertising paper feeding unit 11 is a paper feeding device that loads bundles of multiple advertising sets PS, with the folded portion facing downwards, onto a loading platform 26 that slopes downwards in the direction of transport of the transport belts (261, 262). It then takes out one advertising set PS at a time from the paper feeding position, which is the downstream end of the loading platform 26 in the transport direction, and feeds them toward the advertising insertion unit 19. The advertising paper feeding unit 11 comprises a loading platform 26, an advertising tip sensor 95, a front panel 25, and an advertising paper feeding mechanism 16. The advertising paper feeding mechanism 16 comprises a vertically movable separation plate 104, a separation projection member 103, and a paper feeding driven roller 106, a suction pad 102 supported by a rotatable suction support member 102a, and a paper feeding drive roller 105 whose position is fixed to the main body of the device. During the paper feeding operation, the suction pad 102 is attracted to the advertising set PS located at the downstream end in the transport direction and reaching the front panel 25 among the multiple advertising set PS stacked on the loading platform 26. The movement of the suction pad 102 pulls the attracted advertising set PS into the device, and the pulled-in advertising set PS is sandwiched between the paper feed drive roller 105 and the paper feed driven roller 106 and fed to the lower right in Figure 6. The advertising tip sensor 95 is located at the downstream end of the loading platform 26 in the transport direction and is a sensor that detects the advertising set PS (paper feed target advertising set PS1) that is at the foremost position (paper feed position) among the multiple sets of advertising sets PS loaded on the loading platform 26.

[0045] As shown in Figures 4 to 6, the loading platform 26 comprises a loading support plate 263, multiple (four in this example) upstream conveyor belts 261 arranged parallel to each other in the width direction, and multiple (four in this example) downstream conveyor belts 262 arranged parallel to each other in the width direction. The downstream conveyor belts 262 are positioned offset in the width direction from the upstream conveyor belts 261. Rotational drive is transmitted from the main motor to a belt drive roller 265 that tensions the downstream end of the upstream conveyor belt 261 and the upstream end of the downstream conveyor belt 262 in the conveying direction. By rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 6 (clockwise), the upstream conveyor belts 261 and the downstream conveyor belts 262 move endlessly so that their upper surfaces move downstream in the conveying direction.

[0046] The control unit 52 controls a drive transmission switching means, such as an electromagnetic clutch, which switches the transmission of rotational drive from the main motor to the belt drive roller 265 ON / OFF. When the drive transmission is turned ON, the belt drive roller 265 rotates, causing the conveyor belts (261, 262) to move the advertising set PS on the loading platform 26 toward the paper feeding position. The control unit 52 controls the drive of the belt-driven roller 265 so that the advertising tip sensor 95 can detect the advertising set PS again when the advertising paper feeding mechanism 16 pulls in the advertising set PS1 that is to be fed from the paper feeding position. This allows the multiple sets of advertising sets PS loaded on the loading platform 26 to be moved toward the paper feeding position in response to the decrease in the number of advertising sets PS on the loading platform 26 due to the advertising paper feeding mechanism 16 pulling in the advertising set PS. The control unit 52 turns on the transmission of drive to the belt drive roller 265 and moves the advertisement set PS by the conveyor belt (261, 262). After a predetermined number of advertisement sets PS have been fed, even if the advertisement tip sensor 95 continues to detect the advertisement set PS, the control unit 52 turns on the transmission of drive to the belt drive roller 265 and moves the advertisement set PS by the conveyor belt (261, 262) by a predetermined amount or for a predetermined time.

[0047] The front panel 25 is a support plate that prevents the advertising set PS, which is stacked vertically on the stacking platform 26, from falling over. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, a paper feed opening 251 is formed at the bottom of the front panel 25 through which the advertising set PS, which is fed into the device from the stacking platform 26, passes. The front panel 25 above the upper end of the paper feed opening 251 supports the upper half of the vertically placed advertising set PS.

[0048] As shown in Figure 5, the loading platform 26 is provided with a separation claw 70 at its downstream end in the transport direction. The separation claw 70 protrudes from below into the paper feed opening 251, is attracted to the suction pad 102, and, as the suction pad 102 moves, contacts the lower end of the advertisement set PS that is about to pass through the paper feed opening 251 into the inside of the device, thereby promoting the separation of the advertisement set PS1 that is about to be fed and the next advertisement set PS2 that will be fed in the next paper feeding operation.

[0049] Figures 5 and 6 above show the advertising paper feeding mechanism 16 in a standby state before the paper feeding operation of the advertising set PS begins. Figures 7 to 9 are cross-sectional diagrams illustrating how the advertising paper feeding mechanism 16 feeds the advertising set PS1. Figure 7 shows the state in which the suction pad 102 has reached the position where it adheres to the advertisement set PS, Figure 8 shows the state in which the suction pad 102 has pulled the paper feed target advertisement set PS1 into the inside of the device through the paper feed passage opening 251, and Figure 9 shows the state in which the paper feed target advertisement set PS1, pulled in by the suction pad 102, is sandwiched between the paper feed drive roller 105 and the paper feed driven roller 106.

[0050] When the paper feeding operation is started from the standby state shown in Figures 5 and 6, the paper feed drive roller 105 starts rotating counterclockwise in Figure 6, and the separation plate 104, separation protruding member 103, and paper feed driven roller 106 descend, so that these members do not block the paper feed passage opening 251. Meanwhile, by turning on the connection between the suction pump (not shown) and the suction pad 102 and rotating the suction support member 102a clockwise in Figure 6, the suction pad 102 becomes attached to the back surface (the side that contacts the front plate 25) of the paper feed target advertisement set PS1, as shown in Figure 7.

[0051] During the paper feeding operation, the suction support member 102a rotates counterclockwise in Figure 7, and the separation ejection member 103 and the paper feed driven roller 106 rise, resulting in the state shown in Figure 8. As the suction support member 102a rotates counterclockwise, the suction pad 102 retracts into the device, and the suction pad 102 pulls the paper feed target advertisement set PS1, which it has attached, into the device through the paper feed passage opening 251. During this operation, the separation claw 70 catches on the lower end of the paper feed target advertisement set PS1 as it passes through the paper feed passage opening 251, but the area near the lower end of the paper feed target advertisement set PS1 flexes and overcomes the separation claw 70, allowing the lower end of the paper feed target advertisement set PS1 to pass through the paper feed passage opening 251. Furthermore, even if the next-to-feed advertisement set PS2 becomes tightly attached to the current-to-feed advertisement set PS1 and is about to be fed together with it, the separation claw 70 causes the current-to-feed advertisement set PS1 to flex. Due to its rigidity, the next-to-feed advertisement set PS2 does not follow the flexing of the current-to-feed advertisement set PS1, releasing the tight contact between the current-to-feed advertisement set PS1 and the next-to-feed advertisement set PS2, thereby promoting the separation of the current-to-feed advertisement set PS1 from other advertisement sets PS loaded on the loading platform 26.

[0052] During the paper feeding operation, the suction support member 102a rotates counterclockwise from the state shown in Figure 8, and the separation ejection member 103 and the paper feed driven roller 106 rise further, with the operation of each drive unit controlled to reach the same position as the standby state shown in Figure 6, resulting in the state shown in Figure 9. When the suction pad 102 reaches the position shown in Figure 9, the suction of air from the suction pad 102 is cut off, releasing the suction by the suction pad 102. This operation pulls the paper feed target advertisement set PS1, which the suction pad 102 has attached to, to a position where it contacts the paper feed drive roller 105. In addition, the rising separation ejection member 103 enters between the paper feed target advertisement set PS1, whose lower end is separated by the separation claw 70, and the next paper feed advertisement set PS2, enabling more reliable paper separation. Furthermore, as the paper feed driven roller 106 attempts to rise to a position where it contacts the paper feed drive roller 105, the paper feed target advertisement set PS1 can be clamped between the paper feed driven roller 106 and the paper feed drive roller 105, and the clamped paper feed target advertisement set PS1 is fed towards the advertisement insertion section 19 by the rotation of the paper feed drive roller 105. As shown in Figures 6 to 9, the separation ejection member 103 is equipped with a separation ejection roller 103a, and as shown in Figure 9, when it enters between the paper feed target advertisement set PS1 and the next paper feed advertisement set PS2, the separation ejection roller 103a contacts the paper feed target advertisement set PS1 and the next paper feed advertisement set PS2 and rotates, thereby preventing scratches from forming on the surface of the advertisement set PS due to friction caused by the vertically moving separation ejection member 103.

[0053] Next, we will explain how to adjust the amount of protrusion of the separation claw 70 relative to the paper feed opening 251. The amount of protrusion of the separation claw 70 needs to be adjusted according to the thickness of the advertising set PS. Specifically, the thicker the advertising set PS, the smaller the protrusion of the separation claw 70, and the thinner the advertising set PS, the larger the protrusion of the separation claw 70. This is for the following reasons.

[0054] In other words, because the thick advertising set PS has high rigidity and is difficult to bend, the next-feed advertising set PS2 does not bend easily, following the bending of the advertising set PS1 being fed, thus reducing the protrusion amount of the separation claw 70. Even if the amount of bending of the advertising set PS1 being fed is small, the rigidity of the next-feed advertising set PS2 allows the advertising set PS1 being fed and the next-feed advertising set PS2 to be separated. Furthermore, when feeding a thick advertising set PS, if the protrusion amount of the separation claw 70 is too large, the force resisting the bending due to the rigidity of the advertising set PS1 may exceed the suction force of the suction pad 102 before the advertising set PS1 being fed by the suction pad 102 bends enough to overcome the separation claw 70, causing the suction of the suction pad 102 to be released and making it impossible to feed the paper.

[0055] On the other hand, thin advertising sets PS have low rigidity and are easily bent, so the next-feed advertising set PS2 easily bends in accordance with the bending of the target advertising set PS1. Even if the protrusion amount of the separation claws 70 is increased and the amount of bending of the target advertising set PS1 is increased, the force resisting the bending due to the rigidity of the target advertising set PS1 is unlikely to exceed the suction force of the suction pad 102, and thus feeding failures are unlikely to occur. Also, when feeding a thin advertising set PS, if the protrusion amount of the separation claws 70 is too small, even if the target advertising set PS1, which is suctioned to the suction pad 102, bends so much that it goes over the separation claws 70, the next-feed advertising set PS2 will bend in accordance with the target advertising set PS1, preventing the adhesion from being released, which may result in a separation failure and the double feeding of advertising sets PS.

[0056] Therefore, in the advertising paper feeding unit 11 of this embodiment, the vertical position (height) of the separation claw 70 can be adjusted so that the protrusion amount is increased when the advertising set PS is thin, and decreased when the advertising set PS is thick. Figure 10 is an explanatory diagram for adjusting the protrusion amount of the separation claw 70. Figure 10(a) is an explanatory diagram when the protrusion amount of the separation claw 70 is maximized, and Figure 10(b) is an explanatory diagram when the protrusion amount of the separation claw 70 is minimized. As shown in Figures 10(a) and 10(b), by varying the protrusion amount of the separation claw 70 according to the thickness of the advertising set PS, good paper feeding and separation performance can be achieved even when the thickness of the advertising set PS changes.

[0057] The separation claw adjustment knob 45, which is the operating part of the separation claw height adjustment mechanism 90 (see Figures 11 and 12) for adjusting the vertical position of the separation claw 70, is located on the right front panel 110a of the right side wall portion 110 of the housing of the advertising paper feeding section 11. Figure 11 is an explanatory diagram of the separation claw height adjustment mechanism 90. Figure 11(a) is an enlarged front view of the vicinity of the separation claw adjustment knob 45 on the right side wall portion 110 of the housing, and Figure 11(b) is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the separation claw adjustment knob 45 on the right side wall portion 110 of the housing.

[0058] As shown in Figure 11, the advertising paper feeding unit 11 is equipped with a separation claw adjustment knob 45 on the right front panel 110a of the right right wall portion 110 of the housing, and an advertising set clamping unit 80 on the right side panel 110b of the right right wall portion 110 of the housing. The advertising set clamping unit 80 comprises a clamping fixed roller 81, a clamping movable roller 82, a fixed roller support member 83, and a movable roller support slide member 84. The fixed roller support member 83 supports the clamping fixed roller 81 so that it can rotate around the clamping fixed roller rotation axis 81a, and is fixed to the housing of the advertising paper feeding unit 11 so as to protrude from the right side of the right side panel 110b. The movable roller support slide member 84 supports the clamping movable roller 82 so that it can rotate around the clamping movable roller rotation axis 82a, and is configured to move left and right in accordance with the rotation of the separation claw adjustment knob 45 by a slide mechanism located inside the right right wall portion 110 of the housing. Furthermore, a movable roller passage window 111 is formed in the right side wall plate 110b of the right side wall portion 110 of the housing, and the portion of the movable roller support slide member 84 that supports the clamping movable roller 82 protrudes outward from the movable roller passage window 111. As the movable roller support slide member 84 moves from side to side, the amount of protrusion outward from the movable roller passage window 111 changes, and the distance between the clamping fixed roller 81 and the clamping movable roller 82 changes.

[0059] Figure 12 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the separation claw height adjustment mechanism 90. Figure 12(a) [Figures 12(a-1) and 12(a-2)] is an explanatory diagram of the state in which a thick advertisement set PS is clamped in the advertisement set clamping part 80, and Figure 12(b) [Figures 12(b-1) and 12(b-2)] is an explanatory diagram of the state in which a thin advertisement set PS is clamped in the advertisement set clamping part 80. Furthermore, Figures 12(a-1) and 12(b-1) are explanatory diagrams of the position of the advertisement set clamping part 80 in the front-to-back direction, and Figures 12(a-2) and 12(b-2) are explanatory diagrams of the position of the separation claw 70 in the front-to-back direction. Note that in Figures 12(a-1) and 12(b-1), the large-diameter gear portion 86a of the clamping operation transmission gear 86, which is located in front of the advertisement set clamping part 80, is shown by a dashed line for convenience. The clamping motion transmission gear 86 is supported in the device housing so as to be rotatable around the motion transmission gear shaft 87.

[0060] As shown in Figure 12, the separation claw adjustment knob 45 is fixed to the separation claw adjustment transmission shaft 75, and the clamping operation output gear 46 and the separation claw adjustment output gear 74 are fixed to this separation claw adjustment transmission shaft 75. When the user rotates the separation claw adjustment knob 45, the clamping operation output gear 46 and the separation claw adjustment output gear 74 fixed to the separation claw adjustment transmission shaft 75 also rotate.

[0061] The clamping action output gear 46 engages with the large-diameter gear portion 86a of the clamping action transmission gear 86, so when the clamping action output gear 46 rotates, the clamping action transmission gear 86 also rotates. The small-diameter gear portion 86b of the clamping action transmission gear 86 engages with the movable roller support rack portion 84a of the movable roller support slide member 84. A slide member support pin 85, fixed to the housing of the advertising paper feeding unit 11, is fitted into the elongated hole in the movable roller support slide member 84 that is elongated in the left-right direction, and the slide member support pin 85 supports the movable roller support slide member 84 in a state where it can move in the left-right direction. When the clamping action transmission gear 86, which is engaged with the movable roller support rack portion 84a, rotates, the movable roller support slide member 84 moves in the left-right direction, and the clamping movable roller 82 supported by the movable roller support slide member 84 moves from side to side. In this way, the clamping action transmission gear 86 and the movable roller support rack portion 84a, etc., constitute the slide mechanism described above.

[0062] The separation claw adjustment output gear 74 engages with the separation claw push-up slide rack portion 73b of the separation claw push-up slide member 73. When the separation claw adjustment output gear 74 rotates, the separation claw push-up slide member 73 moves in the left-right direction. The separation claw support member 71, to which the separation claw 70 is fixed, is supported by a support mechanism (not shown) so as to be movable in the vertical direction relative to the loading platform 26. The separation claw push-up slide member 73 has three inclined members 72, each having a slope that contacts the lower ends of the three separation claw support members 71, fixed to the inclined support portion 73a of the separation claw push-up slide member 73. When the separation claw push-up slide member 73 moves in the left-right direction, the height of the contact point between the lower ends of the separation claw support members 71 and the inclined surface of the inclined member 72 changes, and the height of the separation claw 70 fixed to the separation claw support member 71 changes according to the height of this contact point.

[0063] The following describes how to adjust the height of the separation claws 70 according to the thickness of the advertising set PS to be loaded. Before stacking the bundle of advertising sets, consisting of multiple sets of advertising sets PS, onto the loading platform 26, the user turns the separation claw adjustment knob 45 all the way in the counterclockwise direction (opposite direction to the arrow "A1" in the diagram). Next, one of the advertising sets PS to be loaded is placed upright between the clamping fixing roller 81 and the clamping moving roller 82, and the separation claw adjustment knob 45 is rotated clockwise (in the direction of arrow "A1" in the figure) until it can no longer be turned. After that, the user removes the advertising set PS from the advertising set clamping section 80.

[0064] Next, with reference to Figures 11 and 12, the movement of the separation claw height adjustment mechanism 90 during the height adjustment operation described above will be explained. When the separation claw adjustment knob 45 is turned all the way in the counterclockwise direction (opposite direction to the arrow "A1" in the diagram), the gap between the clamping fixing roller 81 and the clamping moving roller 82 of the advertisement set clamping section 80 becomes the widest possible. Next, when the user places the advertising set PS between the clamping fixed roller 81 and the clamping moving roller 82 and rotates the separation claw adjustment knob 45 clockwise (in the direction of arrow "A1" in the figure), the separation claw adjustment transmission shaft 75 and the clamping operation output gear 46 and separation claw adjustment output gear 74 fixed thereto rotate clockwise (in the direction of arrow "A1" in the figure).

[0065] As shown in Figures 12(a-1) and 12(b-1), when the clamping operation output gear 46 rotates clockwise (in the direction of arrow "A1" in the figure), the clamping operation transmission gear 86 rotates counterclockwise (in the direction of arrow "A2" in the figure). Then, the movable roller support rack section 84a, which includes the movable roller support rack section 84a, moves to the right (in the direction of arrow "A3" in the figure), and the clamping movable roller 82 moves in a direction that narrows the gap between it and the clamping fixed roller 81. When the advertisement set PS is clamped between the clamping movable roller 82 and the clamping fixed roller 81, the clamping movable roller 82 can no longer move in the direction that narrows the gap between it and the clamping fixed roller 81, and the user is unable to rotate the separation claw adjustment knob 45 clockwise (in the direction of arrow "A1" in the figure).

[0066] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 12(a-2) and 12(b-2), when the separation claw adjustment output gear 74 rotates clockwise (in the direction of the arrow "A1" in the figure), the separation claw push-up slide member 73, which includes the separation push-up slide rack portion 73b, moves to the left (in the direction of the arrow "A4" in the figure). When the separation claw push-up slide member 73 moves to the left (in the direction of the arrow "A4" in the figure), the inclined member 72 fixed to the inclined support portion 73a moves to the left, and the portion of the inclined surface of the inclined member 72 that faces the lower end of the separation claw support member 71 becomes a higher portion. As a result, the separation claw support member 71 is pushed up by the inclined surface of the inclined member 72 and moves upward (in the direction of the arrow "A5" in the figure), and the position of the separation claw 70 fixed to the separation claw support member 71 moves upward.

[0067] As shown in Figure 12(a), when a thick advertising set PS is placed in the advertising set clamping section 80, rotating the separation claw adjustment knob 45 clockwise (in the direction of arrow "A1" in the figure) causes the clamping movement roller 82 to abut against the advertising set PS with a small amount of rotation, and the advertising set clamping section 80 grips the advertising set PS. As a result, the amount of clockwise rotation (in the direction of arrow "A1" in the figure) between the separation claw adjustment transmission shaft 75 to which the separation claw adjustment knob 45 is fixed and the separation claw adjustment output gear 74 fixed to the separation claw adjustment transmission shaft 75 becomes small, and the amount of movement of the separation claw push-up slide member 73 to the left (in the direction of arrow "A4" in the figure) becomes small. Furthermore, the amount of leftward movement (in the direction of arrow "A4" in the figure) of the inclined member 72 fixed to the separation claw push-up slide member 73 is reduced, and the amount of upward movement (in the direction of arrow "A5" in the figure) of the separation claw 70 fixed to the separation claw support member 71, which is pushed up by the leftward movement of the inclined member 72, is also reduced. As a result, the amount of protrusion of the separation claw 70 from the paper feed opening 251 is reduced.

[0068] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 12(b), when a thin advertising set PS is placed in the advertising set clamping section 80, rotating the separation claw adjustment knob 45 clockwise (in the direction of arrow "A1" in the figure) increases the amount of rotation of the separation claw adjustment knob 45 until the clamping movement roller 82 abuts against the advertising set PS and the advertising set clamping section 80 clamps the advertising set PS. As a result, the amount of rotation in the clockwise direction (in the direction of arrow "A1" in the figure) of the separation claw adjustment transmission shaft 75 to which the separation claw adjustment knob 45 is fixed and the separation claw adjustment output gear 74 fixed to the separation claw adjustment transmission shaft 75 also increases, and the amount of movement of the separation claw push-up slide member 73 to the left (in the direction of arrow "A4" in the figure) also increases. Furthermore, the amount of movement of the inclined member 72 fixed to the separation claw push-up slide member 73 to the left (direction of arrow "A4" in the figure) increases, and the amount of upward movement of the separation claw 70 fixed to the separation claw support member 71, which is pushed up by the leftward movement of the inclined member 72 (direction of arrow "A5" in the figure), also increases. As a result, the amount of protrusion of the separation claw 70 relative to the paper feed opening 251 increases.

[0069] Conventional inserters do not have a configuration like the advertisement set clamping section 80. Therefore, the advertisement set is clamped in a thickness measuring device separate from the inserter, the measurement value from this thickness measuring device is checked, and the protrusion amount of the separation claws is adjusted by operating the adjustment member that adjusts the protrusion amount of the separation claws so that it corresponds to the measurement value from the thickness measuring device. Conventional adjustment procedures like these require many steps, such as (1) preparing the thickness measuring instrument, (2) placing the advertising set in the thickness measuring instrument, (3) checking the measurement value of the thickness measuring instrument, and (4) operating the adjustment member to position it according to the confirmed measurement value. Furthermore, step (4) requires manually adjusting the position of the adjustment member to match the measurement value, which is cumbersome for the user.

[0070] In contrast, the advertisement feeding section 11 of the inserter 1 according to this embodiment allows for adjustment of the protrusion amount of the separation claw 70 with a few simple steps: (1) placing the advertisement set PS in the advertisement set clamping section 80, and (2) rotating the separation claw adjustment knob 45 until it stops.

[0071] The separation claw height adjustment mechanism 90 of this embodiment has a configuration in which a clamping moving roller 82 that displaces according to the thickness of the advertising set PS and a separation claw pushing slide member 73 that moves the separation claw 70 up and down are mechanically linked. The configuration for changing the amount of protrusion of the separation member such as the separation claw 70 in conjunction with a change in the distance between clamping members such as the clamping fixed roller 81 and the clamping moving roller 82 is not limited to a mechanically linked configuration. Alternatively, a configuration may be provided which includes a distance sensor that emits a signal according to the distance between clamping members and a drive source such as a motor or solenoid that changes the amount of protrusion of the separation member, and the drive amount of the drive source is controlled according to the signal from the distance sensor.

[0072] Furthermore, instead of the clamping member and distance sensor in the above-described example configuration, a thickness sensor that measures the thickness of the advertising set PS may be used, and the drive amount of the drive source that changes the protrusion amount of the separating member may be controlled based on the detection result of this thickness sensor. The configuration using the thickness sensor is not limited to a configuration in which the user places one set of advertising sets PS to be fed at the measurement position and measures the thickness, but may also be a configuration in which a thickness sensor is placed in the paper feeding path from the advertising stacking unit 15, the thickness is measured in a preset paper feeding that feeds only one set, and the drive amount of the drive source is controlled according to the measured value. In addition, if a thickness sensor is placed in the paper feeding path, by changing the protrusion amount of the separating member in accordance with the change in the thickness of the fed advertising set PS, it becomes possible to perform good paper feeding even if there is variation in the thickness of the advertising set PS in the bundle of advertising sets stacked in the advertising stacking unit 15.

[0073] In this embodiment, the advertising paper feeding unit 11 is configured such that the distance between the clamping members can be manually changed by turning the separation claw adjustment knob 45, and the amount of protrusion of the separation members changes mechanically in conjunction with this distance. With such a configuration, sensors for acquiring information on the thickness of the advertising set PS, such as distance sensors and thickness sensors, and a drive source for changing the amount of protrusion of the separation members are not required, and the manufacturing cost of the paper feeding device such as the advertising paper feeding unit 11 can be reduced. Furthermore, by placing the advertising set PS in the advertising set clamping section 80 and turning the separation claw adjustment knob 45, the amount of protrusion of the separation claws 70 can be adjusted according to the thickness of the advertising set PS. After that, by turning the separation claw adjustment knob 45 with the advertising set PS not placed in the advertising set clamping section 80, the amount of protrusion of the separation claws 70 can be finely adjusted. Even if the advertising set PS has the same thickness, the separation and feeding performance may differ depending on the material and printing condition of the advertising print materials that make up the advertising set PS. However, by adjusting the amount of protrusion according to the thickness of the advertising set PS and then further fine-tuning the amount of protrusion of the separation claws 70, more stable feeding of the advertising set PS can be achieved.

[0074] The feeding device, which includes a configuration that changes the amount of protrusion of the separating member in conjunction with the distance between the clamping members described above, or a configuration that changes the amount of protrusion of the separating member based on the detection of a thickness sensor, is not limited to the advertising paper feeding section 11 of the inserter 1 described above. For example, it can also be applied to a configuration in which newspapers are fed one by one from the newspaper stacking section 14 of the newspaper feeding section 10 of the inserter 1 described above. Furthermore, it is applicable to any paper feeding device that changes the amount of protrusion of the separating member according to the thickness of the sheet material to be fed. For example, it is applicable to a mechanism that adjusts the height (protrusion amount) of the separating member (dispersing member) in the paper feeding device of a collating device described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-38628, etc.

[0075] The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the embodiments and modifications described above. Various design changes and other modifications can be made to the embodiments based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and such modified embodiments may also be included within the scope of the present invention.

[0076] The above is just one example; each of the following embodiments produces its own unique effects.

[0077] [Aspect 1] The feeding device, such as an advertising paper feed unit 11, comprises a storage unit such as an advertising stacking unit 15 for storing sheet material stacks such as an advertising set bundle, which consists of one or more sheets of sheet material such as an advertising set PS stacked in multiple parts in the thickness direction; a feeding means such as an advertising paper feeding mechanism 16 for feeding sheet material one part at a time from the sheet material stack in the storage unit; and a separating member such as a separating claw 70 that protrudes into a feeding passage path such as a paper feeding opening 251 through which the sheet material fed from the storage unit passes, thereby promoting the separation of some sheet material fed by the feeding means from other sheet material, and the amount of protrusion of the separating member in the feeding passage path can be changed. The device is characterized by comprising a sheet material clamping means such as an advertising set clamping unit 80 that clamps the sheet material with two clamping members such as a clamping fixed roller 81 and a clamping moving roller 82; and a clamping and separation interlocking means such as a separating claw height adjustment mechanism 90 that changes the amount of protrusion of the separating member in conjunction with a change in the distance between the two clamping members. According to this, by simply clamping the sheet material to be fed with the sheet material clamping means, it becomes possible to adjust the amount of protrusion of the separating member according to the thickness of the sheet material in the feeding unit, such as the thickness of one set of advertising set PS, making it easier to adjust the amount of protrusion of the separating member than in the conventional method. In conventional inserting devices equipped with the aforementioned separation claws, the user had to measure the thickness of the advertising set with a separate measuring instrument and then adjust the amount the separation claws protruded by operating an adjustment member on the inserting device based on the measurement result, which presented a time-consuming problem. Such problems are not limited to the advertising feeding section of an in-package device that has a separation claw in the passage path through which the advertising set passes. These problems can occur in any feeding device that feeds sheet materials one by one from a storage section that accommodates multiple sheets of sheet material or multiple parts of a single sheet material, and which is equipped with a separation member that promotes the separation of the sheet material to be fed by the feeding means from other sheet materials, and whose protrusion amount of the separation member in the feeding passage path through which the fed sheet material passes can be changed. According to Embodiment 1, when a user holds a portion of the sheet material, which is housed in a storage compartment, with two clamping members of the sheet material clamping mechanism, the clamping / separation linkage means changes the amount of protrusion of the separation member in conjunction with the change in the distance between the two clamping members. Therefore, the user can set the amount of protrusion of the separation member to an amount corresponding to the thickness of the sheet material simply by clamping a portion of the sheet material with the sheet material clamping mechanism, thereby reducing the effort required to set the amount of protrusion of the separation member.

[0078] [Aspect 2] In the feeding device according to Embodiment 1, at least one of the two clamping members is a roller member such as a clamping fixed roller 81 and a clamping moving roller 82, the circumferential surface that contacts the object to be clamped being rotatable. According to this, when the sheet material is removed while it is still held in place by the sheet material clamping means, the clamping member, which consists of roller members, rotates. This prevents friction between the clamping member and the sheet material during the removal process, thus preventing scratches on the sheet material caused by friction.

[0079] [Aspect 3] The feeding device, such as an advertising paper feed unit 11, comprises a storage unit such as an advertising stacking unit 15 for storing sheet material stacks such as an advertising set bundle, which consists of one or more sheets of sheet material such as an advertising set PS stacked in multiple parts in the thickness direction; a feeding means such as an advertising paper feeding mechanism 16 for feeding sheet material one part at a time from the sheet material stack in the storage unit; and a separating member such as a separating claw 70 that protrudes into a feeding passage path such as a paper feeding opening 251 through which the sheet material fed from the storage unit passes, thereby promoting the separation of some sheet material fed by the feeding means from other sheet material, wherein the amount of protrusion of the separating member in the feeding passage path can be changed. The device is characterized by comprising a thickness information acquisition means such as a thickness sensor for acquiring thickness information of the sheet material, and a separation protrusion amount control means (such as a combination of a drive source and its control means) for controlling the amount of protrusion of the separating member based on the thickness information acquired by the thickness information acquisition means. According to this, by simply obtaining thickness information of the sheet material to be fed using a thickness information acquisition means, it becomes possible to adjust the amount of protrusion of the separating member according to the thickness of the sheet material in the feeding unit, such as the thickness of one set of advertising sets PS, making it easier to adjust the amount of protrusion of the separating member than in the conventional method.

[0080] [Aspect 4] In a paper feeding device according to any of embodiments 1 to 3, the storage section comprises a front sheet support plate such as a front plate 25 that contacts the surface of the frontmost sheet material, such as an advertising set PS1, located closest to the feeding means, when the sheet material is stored in a vertical position, and supports the frontmost sheet material; and internal storage means such as an upstream conveyor belt 261 and a downstream conveyor belt 262 that transport the stack of sheet materials to be stored toward the front sheet support plate; the feeding means comprises an adsorption pad such as an adsorption pad 102 that adsorbs to the surface of the frontmost sheet material that contacts the frontmost sheet support plate (such as the back surface of the advertising set PS1) from a support plate opening such as a paper feeding passage opening 251 formed below the frontmost sheet support plate, and moves the frontmost sheet material toward the downstream side in the feeding direction; and the separation member is characterized in that the amount of protrusion at the support plate opening that constitutes the feeding passage path can be changed. According to this configuration, the separating member comes into contact with the leading sheet material that is being attracted to the suction pad and is about to pass through the support plate opening, thereby promoting the separation of the leading sheet material from the other sheet materials, and the amount of protrusion of the separating member at the support plate opening can be easily adjusted. In the above-described embodiment, the amount of protrusion of the separating member that protrudes from above from the lower end of the support plate opening was adjusted, but the separating member is not limited to one that protrudes upward from the lower end of the support plate opening, but may also protrude inward from the side end of the support plate opening.

[0081] [Aspect 5] In an inserting device such as an inserter 1 that forms an inserted sheet material such as an inserted newspaper by sandwiching a second sheet material such as an advertising set PS between a first sheet material such as a folded newspaper, the device is characterized in that at least one of the first feeding means for feeding the first sheet material and the second feeding means for feeding the second sheet material is a feeding device according to any of the embodiments 1 to 4. This makes it easier to adjust the protrusion amount of the separating member provided by the feeding mechanism of the insertion device.

[0082] [Aspect 6] A collating device that forms a sheet bundle by stacking sheet materials fed from each of multiple feeding units is characterized in that at least one of the feeding units is a feeding device according to any of the embodiments 1 to 4. This makes it easier to adjust the protrusion amount of the separating member provided in the feeding section of the interlocking device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 1: Inserter 10:Newspaper feed section 11: Advertising paper feeding section 14: Newspaper Loading Department 15: Advertising Loading Section 16: Advertising paper feeding mechanism 17: Newspaper Delivery Department 18: Newspaper opening section 19: Advertisement Insertion Section 25: Front plate 26: Loading platform 41:Operation unit 42: Newspaper feeding mechanism 45: Separation claw adjustment knob 46: Clamping operation output gear 50: Reception Department 51: Display Unit Control 70: Separation claw 71: Separation claw support member 72: Inclined member 73: Separation claw pushing slide member 73a: Inclined support part 73b: Separation and push-up slide rack section 74: Separation claw adjustment output gear 75: Transmission shaft for adjusting separation claws 80: Advertisement set clamping section 81: Clamping and fixing roller 81a: Clamping and fixing roller rotation shaft 82: Clamping and moving roller 82a: Clamping and moving roller rotation axis 83: Fixed roller support member 84: Sliding roller support member 84a: Mobile roller support rack section 85: Slide member support pin 86: Clamping motion transmission gear 86a: Large diameter gear section 86b: Small diameter gear section 87: Gear shaft for motion transmission 90: Separation claw height adjustment mechanism 95: Advertising-leading sensor 100: In-house system 102: Suction pad 102a: Adsorption support member 103: Separation protruding member 103a: Separation ejection roller 104: Separation plate 105: Paper feed drive roller 106: Paper feed driven roller 110: Right side wall of the housing 110a: Right wall front plate 110b: Right wall side plate 111: Moving roller passage window 251: Paper feed opening PS: Ad set

Claims

1. An insertion device that conveys a folded first sheet material and inserts a second sheet material into a gap formed by opening the opposite side of the fold of the first sheet material, thereby forming an inserted sheet material in which the second sheet material is sandwiched between the first sheet material, External information processing means that acquires and stores device information transmitted from the input device via an internet connection, An internal device management system comprising a management terminal capable of checking the device information stored in the external information processing means, The aforementioned insertion device includes a transmission means for transmitting device information, which includes at least one of the following: the cumulative number of insertions, the number of errors, and the number of errors of each type, to the external information processing means via an internet connection. The control unit of the insertion device transmits error information to the external information processing means when the operation of the insertion device stops. The external information processing means is characterized by transmitting the received error information to the management terminal at predetermined intervals.

2. An insertion device that conveys a folded first sheet material and inserts a second sheet material into a gap formed by opening the opposite side of the fold of the first sheet material, thereby forming an inserted sheet material in which the second sheet material is sandwiched between the first sheet material, External information processing means that acquires and stores device information transmitted from the input device via an internet connection, An internal device management system comprising a management terminal capable of checking the device information stored in the external information processing means, The aforementioned insertion device includes a transmission means for transmitting device information, which includes at least one of the following: the cumulative number of insertions, the number of errors, and the number of errors of each type, to the external information processing means via an internet connection. An internal device management system characterized by accumulating error information received by the external information processing means or the management terminal, and displaying an alert on the management screen of the management terminal instructing confirmation of the need for maintenance when predetermined conditions are met.

3. In the in-store device management system of claim 1 or 2, The aforementioned entry device is equipped with a service man call button. An in-house equipment management system characterized in that when the service call button is pressed, the management screen of the management terminal displays that the service call button has been pressed.

4. In the in-store device management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The aforementioned second sheet material is a collated bundle formed by collating multiple sheet materials so that they overlap in the thickness direction. A collating device management system is characterized in that the collating device includes a receiving means for receiving information about the collating device from the external information processing means via the Internet line, which includes at least one of the following: update information for the control program of the collating device and information about the number of collated parts input in the collation process that created the collated bundle.

5. An interlocking device that conveys a folded first sheet material and inserts a second sheet material into a gap formed by opening the opposite side of the fold of the first sheet material, thereby forming an interlocked sheet material in which the second sheet material is sandwiched between the first sheet material, The device includes a transmission means for transmitting device information, which includes at least one of the following: the cumulative number of times the device has been inserted, the number of times an error has occurred, and the number of occurrences for each type of error, to an external information processing means via an internet line. The aforementioned second sheet material is a collated bundle formed by collating multiple sheet materials so that they overlap in the thickness direction. The interlocking device is characterized by comprising a receiving means for receiving information about the interlocking device, including information about the number of collated parts input in the collation process that created the collated bundle, from the external information processing means via the internet line.

6. An interfacing device for forming an interfacing sheet material by sandwiching a second sheet material between folded first sheet materials, External information processing means that acquires and stores device information transmitted from the input device via an internet connection, An internal device management system comprising a management terminal capable of checking the device information stored in the external information processing means, The insertion device management system is characterized by comprising the insertion device of claim 5 as the insertion device.

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