This disclosure describes various aspect of a unique standalone document handler that is coupable to and controllable by a fulfillment. The standalone documents handler is attachable to a standard printer or copier and has a drop chute that is designed to hold groups of fulfillment documents and drop them into a fulfillment receptacle positioned under the document handler. Upper and lower scanners scan document identification codes placed on one or more pages of the fulfillment document, which allows a system controller to control the timing of dispensing the correct documents in the designated fulfillment receptacle at the correct time.

An automated mail tray filling apparatus for taking envelopes from a vertical stacker output of an inserter machine and placing them in mail trays. A vertical stack of envelopes rests on a long stacker table. The mail tray filling apparatus has a track positioned next the vertical stacker table parallel to the length of the vertical stacker table. A mail tray transport is positioned beneath the track and arranged to transport mail trays beneath the track in a direction parallel to the vertical stacker table. A movable mail tray filler is movably mounted on the track to travel in parallel next to the vertical stacker table and above the mail tray transport, and is arranged to withdraw envelopes from the end of the vertical stack in a sideways direction. Envelopes are then redirected into a downward direction and fed into a mail tray positioned beneath the movable mail tray filler.

Systems, devices and methods for receiving an item in a receptacle are disclosed. Features are disclosed for receiving and guiding an item in a receiving space of a receptacle so as to attenuate or remove the impact force of the item on the receptacle. Some embodiments of the disclosure include a bumper having an impact surface which absorbs most or all of the impact force of the item and thereby mitigates or removes the imposition of cyclic impact loads on the receptacle from repeated receipt of items. The bumper may be structurally and/or functionally de-coupled or otherwise physically separated from the receptacle such that an advantageous division of labor is created between absorbing the impact and receiving the item. This disclosure may be useful, for example, in modern industrial operations where a high volume of items are received daily, such as in mail sorting and handling operations.

An image recording apparatus including a first tray having a first holding portion for holding sheets, a second tray disposed above the first tray and including a second holding portion for holding sheets, a sheet feeder that selectively feeds a sheet from one of the first tray and the second tray in a sheet feed direction, a recording unit that records an image on the sheet fed by the sheet feeder, and a discharge roller that discharges the sheet on which the image is recorded by the recording unit. The second holding portion of the second tray moves above the first holding portion of the first tray. The second tray further includes a discharged sheet receiving portion for receiving the sheet discharged by the discharge roller. The second tray including the discharged sheet receiving portion pivots relative to the first tray.

A paper sheet storage mechanism (e.g., a banknote storage mechanism 32) is provided with a pressing unit (e.g., pressing plate 46) which advances into a storage bag (e.g., banknote storage bag 34) held by a holding unit (e.g., holding member 36) and presses a portion of the storage bag from inside toward a placement unit (e.g., stage 40), thereby bringing a portion of the storage bag placed on the placement unit into a state in which paper sheets are stackable thereon. Before paper sheets are sent into the storage bag, the pressing unit is caused to advance into the storage bag and press the portion of the storage bag toward the placement unit.

A sheet storage device includes a sheet storage to stack and store sheets conveyed to the sheet storage in a conveyance direction. The sheet storage includes: a first sheet contact surface at a downstream end of the sheet storage in the conveyance direction; a second sheet contact surface at one end of the sheet storage in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to each of the conveyance direction and the gravity direction; a first inclined portion having an upper end at a downstream side and a lower end at an upstream side in the conveyance direction and having the first sheet contact surface tilted downward in a gravity direction from the upper end to the lower end; and a second inclined portion tilted downward in the gravity direction toward the second sheet contact surface in the orthogonal direction.

The filling of value documents cassettes involves a cassette receiving device for receiving a value document cassette and a gripping device for transporting a value document stack from a value document container into the value document cassette. The apparatus optionally has a formatting device for the automatic alignment of a value document stack removed from the value document container before the stack is inserted in the value document cassette. A finger element is attached to the transport device of the gripping device, and besides the gripping device, the finger element is guided into the value document cassette before the value documents are inserted.

An apparatus for filling and sealing bags intended for containing banknotes includes a generally parallelepiped-shaped container, with side walls, a bottom and an upper lid provided with an opening for allowing entry into the container of a bag, made up of flexible plastic film, and of banknotes intended to be introduced into the same bag. The apparatus includes a pair of sealing bars arranged at the upper end of the container and a system for controlling and moving the bars between their respective opening and closing positions. The control and movement system of the sealing bars has a motor for driving a shaft adapted to rotate at least one driving pulley arranged below in correspondence with a vertical edge of the container, a kinematic connection for closing the bars comprised of a combination of cables and tension springs connecting the driving pulley to the sealing bars and a kinematic connection for opening the bars comprised of a combination of cables and tension springs connecting the sealing bars to a respective fixed anchor point of the container.

A sheet material holder for holding sheet material for a gripping system is arranged to bear on the sheet material by means of a first surface when the sheet material holder is holding the sheet material. The first surface includes at least a first opening and the sheet material holder is designed such that a fluid can be discharged through the first opening along a first predetermined discharging direction in the direction of the sheet material when the sheet material holder is holding the sheet material. A gripping system and a set-down system with the sheet material holder, and a method for setting sheet material down is also made available.

Systems, devices and methods for receiving an item in a receptacle are disclosed. Features are disclosed for receiving and guiding an item in a receiving space of a receptacle so as to attenuate or remove the impact force of the item on the receptacle. Some embodiments of the disclosure include a bumper having an impact surface which absorbs most or all of the impact force of the item and thereby mitigates or removes the imposition of cyclic impact loads on the receptacle from repeated receipt of items. The bumper may be structurally and/or functionally de-coupled or otherwise physically separated from the receptacle such that an advantageous division of labor is created between absorbing the impact and receiving the item. This disclosure may be useful, for example, in modern industrial operations where a high volume of items are received daily, such as in mail sorting and handling operations.