Thomas M Lyga, Age 63112 Settlers Hill Rd, Southbury, CT 06488

6439569, Aug 27, 2002

Dec 19, 2000

09/741268

Thomas M. Lyga - Southbury CT

Pitney Bowes Inc. - Stamford CT

B65H 2920

271314, 271226, 4147881, 270 5801

A sheet accumulator of compact design has a circular paper path. Individual sheets moving along a main (linear) path enter the accumulator one by one, and each sheet is then diverted onto and around the perimeter of a set of driven disks. The disks are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the paper sheets. The disks then urge each sheet against a set of stops. Each subsequent sheet enters the circular path between the disks and the previous sheet, so that it too is urged and registered against the stops. When the accumulation is complete, the stops are retracted and a set of rolls is engaged to exit the sheets out of the accumulator. The accumulated stack of sheets is then diverted back into the main (linear) paper path.

6454255, Sep 24, 2002

Dec 19, 2000

09/741576

Robert J. Allen - Danbury CT
Michael S. Doery - Monroe CT
Thomas M. Lyga - Southbury CT
Francesco Porco - Fairfield CT

Pitney Bowes Inc. - Stamford CT

B65H 4300

271176, 271 82, 271277, 271207, 271213, 270 5801, 270 5802, 4147899

A sheet accumulator has a circular paper path and a compact design. Individual sheets of paper moving along a main linear path are diverted into the accumulator one by one, and each sheet enters a gripper having jaws that grip the sheets of paper. The gripper jaws pull the sheets along the circular paper path until the gripper returns to a home location, at which point the gripper stops, opens, accepts another sheet, closes, and makes another rotation. When the accumulation is complete, the gripper jaws open to release an accumulated stack of sheets, and a roller is then engaged to exit the sheets out of the accumulator and into the main linear paper path.

6592506, Jul 15, 2003

Jun 25, 2002

10/183858

Thomas M. Lyga - Southbury CT

Pitney Bowes Inc. - Stamford CT

B31F 110

493424, 493434, 493442, 493454

The present invention is directed generally to a folder apparatus for sheets, and more particularly an improved knife folder. In an embodiment, the folder comprises an inducer which is repositionable between a first position and second position, and an idler roller. In the first position the idler roller and a fold roller form a nip. The inducer further comprises a blade adjacent to the idler roller. A first side of the blade and another fold roller define a portion of the feed path adjacent to the another fold roller. When the inducer is in a second position an auxiliary feed path is formed and the sheet may travel along the auxiliary feed path and subsequently be buckled by the blade when the inducer returns to the first position.

6684682, Feb 3, 2004

Dec 24, 2001

10/035979

Denis J. Stemmle - Stratford CT
Eric A. Belec - Southbury CT
Robert J. Allen - Shelton CT
Michael M. Farrell - Beacon Falls CT
Jeffrey A. Gateman - Gales Ferry CT
Thomas M. Lyga - Southbury CT
Edward C. Miller - Woodbridge CT
John F. Zajac - Garnerville NY

Pitney Bowes Inc. - Standford CT

B65B 4330

73 232, 73 37, 533816, 533861

A method for expelling air out of mailpieces includes the steps of creating a stack of the mailpieces; cutting an opening in at least some of the mailpieces; jogging the stack of mailpieces; and subjecting the stack of mailpieces to at least one compression/decompression cycle during the jogging step thereby expelling air out of the at least some of the mailpieces through their corresponding openings. A jogger system incorporates the structure for accomplishing the method.

6779792, Aug 24, 2004

Oct 28, 2002

10/282310

Thomas M. Lyga - Southbury CT
Geoffrey S. Coleman - Ansonia CT

Pitney Bowes Inc. - Stamford CT

B65H 502

271273, 271 2

Apparatus and methods for clearing a jam that occurs on a mailing machine sheet feeder are presented. An envelope stripper and moistener portion of the mailing machine can include a jam release mechanism that provides for a release handle to unlock an upper transport and swing the transport and related portions of the mailing machine into an upright position leaving a transport deck and blade exposed, and thereby facilitating the clearing of a jammed envelope or other mailing piece. The sheet feeding device can include a feeder portion, an upper transport portion and a transport deck. The jam clearing device can include an upper transport frame pivotally mounted to the sheet feeding device via an upper transport pivot shaft and a latching means for securing the upper transport frame in a home position.

6790303, Sep 14, 2004

Dec 17, 2001

10/023151

Robert J. Allen - Shelton CT
Carl R Chapman - Monroe CT
David K Halden - Welwyn, GB
Thomas M Lyga - Southbury CT
Michael Roche - Codicote, GB

Pitney Bowes Ltd. - Stamford CT

B43M 500

156196, 156227, 1564421, 1564422, 271 2

An envelope with its flap in an open position is driven along a transport path by first transport means ( ) at a first location. When the crease line between the flap and the body of the envelope reaches a predetermined location along the transport path, buckling means ( ) engage the envelope from opposite sides at a second location, spaced apart from the first location, such as to cause the envelope to buckle laterally of the transport path and be partially closed. The buckling envelope with its crease line leading is then received by sealing means ( ), by means of which the envelope fully closed.

7398635, Jul 15, 2008

Jan 11, 2006

11/329468

James A. Fairweather - Milford CT, US
George J. Doutney - Sandy Hook CT, US
Robert J. Allen - Shelton CT, US
Thomas M. Lyga - Southbury CT, US

Pitney Bowes Inc. - Stamford CT

B65B 43/26

53569, 532843

In a mail inserter having an envelope movement mechanism to move an envelope into an insertion station and a feeder to move a pack of insert material into an insertion position so that the insert material can be inserted into the envelope, a linear array of optical sensing elements is used to determine the position of one edge of the insert material and another linear array of optical sensing elements is used to determine the position of one edge of the receiving envelope in order to make sure that there is sufficient end clearance between the insert material and the receiving envelope. A stepper motor is used to adjust the envelope position, if the end clearance is outside a predetermined range.

7427059, Sep 23, 2008

Mar 18, 2005

11/084396

Thomas M. Lyga - Southbury CT, US
Carl R. Chapman - Monroe CT, US

Pitney Bowes Inc. - Stamford CT

B43M 3/00

270 5806, 270 45, 270 51, 270 5801, 270 5818, 270 5823, 270 5219, 270 522, 270 5222, 270 5814, 270 5829, 532843, 53569, 1564415

A materials handling system includes an insertion subsystem for inserting materials into envelopes to form mailpieces of a first type and mailpieces of a second type. The materials handling syatem also includes a first mailpiece transport path located downstream from the insertion subsystem and having a curved portion along which mailpieces of said first type are transported, and a second mailpiece transport path being substantially horizontal, located downstream from the insertion subsystem, and along which mailpieces of the second type are transported. Further, a diverter is included that diverts mailpieces of the first type to the first transport path and mailpieces of the second type to the second transport path.