US20010037624A1 - Apparatus for selective wrapping of products and a method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus and a method to produce magazines, books, catalogues, brochures, periodicals, or the like on a collation or binding line, transport these products in a single stream of products towards a packaging line, divide the single stream of products into distinct streams of products where one such stream comprises products requiring wrapping and another such stream comprises products which do not require wrapping, transport the products requiring wrapping to a wrapping machine and sending these products through a wrapping process, transport the products that do not require wrapping around the wrapping machine, and merge the separate streams of products back into a single stream of products such that the products are arranged in a predetermined output order, such as demographic order.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention relates, generally, to an apparatus and a method for wrapping selected products found in a stream of a plurality of products. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and a method which combines a binding or stitching operation and a wrapping operation into a single operation which divides the stream of products into at least two additional streams of products, i.e., a stream of products to be wrapped and a stream of products not to be wrapped, whereafter the divided streams of products are merged again into a single stream of products in a desired output order, such as demographic order.[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• During the processing of magazines, newspapers, books, periodicals or other sheet material products or articles, it is sometimes desirable to wrap selected articles with, for example, paper or conventional band wrapping or plastic film which may be a polymeric or polyethylene plastic film. There are many different reasons for selectively wrapping certain articles from a series of articles. This flexibility is important in satisfying the demands of a particular market or geographical destination. For instance, it may be desirable to offer certain customers or subscribers various features or selected advertising depending upon their special interest, income or occupation. Likewise, it may be relevant to customize products or services contingent upon a customer's previous buying history. For example, a publication may issue one demo edition for parents of newborn children who have previously purchased baby products, another edition for farmers interested in the latest agricultural equipment and still another edition for recent purchasers of exercise equipment. In each situation, a publisher may utilize various modes of customization such as blown-in card feeding, invoicing, advertising material insertion, renewal notices and tipping, as well as several types of contact or contactless printing. As a result, it is usually desirable to wrap the products including one or more of these items in order to enclose such loose items.[0002]
• It is generally understood that magazines or other products can be packaged in such a way so as to take maximum advantage of postal discounts. For example, grouping a certain number of products and sending these products to subscribers having a common five-digit zip code in the same carrier route, qualifies the packages for a lower postal rate thereby saving the publisher money. Therefore, it is preferred that a bindery output articles in an order that facilitates sorting and packaging to maximize postal discounts.[0003]
• Currently, collation and binding (conveyor) lines for stitchers build magazines, catalogues, brochures, periodicals, etc. in an order that facilitates sorting and packaging so as to receive such postal discounts. Each product binding line typically comprises an inserter having a plurality of signature feeders, a collating chain or conveyor, a customizing station, a stitcher, a trimmer, a labeling station, a bad book conveyor, a stacker and a strapper, as known to those skilled in the art. Once products are assembled and packaged in a desired order, the products are typically delivered to a Post Office for continued delivery to their final destination. So as not to create a slowdown in the overall production of the products, wrapping lines are generally separate and apart from binding lines. As previously pointed out, it is sometimes desirable to customize products with certain advertising or promotional material. It is also sometimes desirable to preserve the appearance of products. Customizing certain products with additional material or protecting certain products from damage requires that these products be wrapped with a protective wrapping. Wrapping machines conventionally apply a transparent polywrap material or paper wrap material or band wrap material around each individual product sent through a respective wrapping line. Like the binding lines, the wrapping lines output the products in an order that facilitates sorting and packaging so as to also enable certain postal discounts.[0004]
• One problem with separate and distinct binding and wrapping lines is that bundles of products produced by each separate line are delivered to the appropriate Post Office and these bundles typically have overlapping zip codes thereby not fully utilizing the overall savings that could be realized through postal discounts. Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide an apparatus and a method which are capable of combining a binding line and a wrapping line so as to maximize postal discounts by eliminating such overlapping zip codes. However, because the production processes between a binding line and a wrapping line are not generally compatible, combining these two systems into a single system has heretofore been difficult to accomplish. As a result, bundles from binding lines and wrapping lines are often manually combined together to eliminate overlapping zip codes. However, this manual operation is generally unacceptable because any postal discounts achieved by packaging the products according to matching zip codes are outweighed by the expenses associated with the manual labor needed to organize the bundles.[0005]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• Accordingly, the present invention provides the advantage of conveniently and efficiently combining a binding line with a wrapping line to eliminate the need for separate and distinct binding and wrapping operations thereby reducing manufacturing and labor costs while at the same time maximizing postal discounts. The present invention also provides an apparatus and a method which offer a greater degree of product customization. Further, the present invention provides an apparatus and a method which selectively wrap individual products found in a stream of products and yet are also capable of combining the wrapped and unwrapped products into a desired output so as to maximize postal discounts.[0006]
• In one aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for wrapping selected products of a plurality of products. The products are assembled on a conveyor line according to coded information. The plurality of products continuously moves in a stream of products toward a packaging assembly which is operatively connected to the conveyor line. A deflecting device positioned along the stream of products divides the stream of products into at least two additional streams of products. The present invention contemplates selectively diverting certain products according to coded information either to a wrapping line where products are wrapped or to a non-wrapping line where products are not wrapped. The present invention further contemplates merging the wrapped products and non-wrapped products in another conveyor line according to a predetermined output order whereafter the stream of products is delivered to packaging equipment before shipment to a Post Office.[0007]
• The present invention may be further characterized in that a control system is adapted to receive coded information of each product to be produced prior to the start of the manufacturing process. The control system processes the coded information to determine which products of the plurality of products require wrapping. Based on the desired final demographic output order and based upon the information as to which products out of the plurality of products require wrapping, the control system determines the order of assembly for each of the plurality of products. The control system then communicates with the appropriate components of the binding operation and the packaging operation in order to ensure that the proper output order of products is obtained.[0008]
• The present invention may also be characterized in that the wrapping line comprises a pre-buffer zone, a wrapping device and a post-buffer zone. The deflecting device moves the selected products to be wrapped to the pre-buffer zone of the wrapping line. A predetermined number of products are collected in the pre-buffer zone before such products are delivered to the wrapping device. According to one aspect of the present invention, products to be wrapped are continuously fed to the wrapping device so as to improve the overall operation of the wrapping device. The pre-buffer zone is adapted to collect and feed products to the wrapping device to ensure a continuous translation of products to be wrapped. The post-buffer zone collects the wrapped products prior to delivering the wrapped products to a further destination.[0009]
• According to another aspect of the present invention, the wrapping line is designed to feed wrapped products to a downstream conveyor line such that the wrapped products merge or commingle with the unwrapped products which were diverted into the non- wrapping line. In this manner, the present invention allows wrapped products to join up with non-wrapped products to output a predetermined order of the products.[0010]
• The present invention also relates to a method for selectively wrapping certain products of a stream of products according to coded information. The method includes inputting coded information into a control system which processes the information to determine which products require wrapping. The method further includes generating an order of assembly for the products taking into account the filling of the pre and post-buffer zones such that the output of the products will be in a desired order, such as demographic order. The method also includes continuously moving the stream of products along a first path and dividing the stream of products into at least two additional streams of products, one containing those products to be wrapped and the other containing those products not to be wrapped. The method incorporates a manner of merging the two additional streams of products back into a combined stream whereby the products are arranged in the predetermined output order as originally inputted to the control system.[0011]
• It is therefore a feature of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method which contain the features and advantages set forth herein and which are much simpler in design.[0012]
• It is another feature of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method which improve the customizing capability for high speed demographic binders and wrappers. Specifically, according to the present invention, prior separate binding and wrapping operations can now be combined into a single processing operation which allows for selective wrapping of certain products and an output of products which contains wrapped and unwrapped products and, yet, which also maximizes postal discounts.[0013]
• It is yet another feature of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method which allow for selective wrapping of products from a plurality of products and which are particularly versatile and capable of improving existing systems.[0014]
• Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following detailed description, claims, and drawings in which like numerals are used to designate like features.[0015]
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a top elevational view of a processing line for practicing a method embodying the present invention.[0016]
• FIGS.[0017]2-6 are flow charts illustrating the selective wrapping process embodying the present invention.
• Before one embodiment of the invention is explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Also, it is understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. The use of “consisting of” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass only the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof. The use of letters to identify steps of a method or process is simply for identification and is not meant to indicate that the steps should be performed in a particular order.[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
• Illustrated in FIG. 1 is an in-[0019]line processing system10 according to the present invention for processing products or articles which may include newspapers, magazines, books or the like. Theprocessing system10 includes a stitcher controller or assembly controller12, an assembly line14, a binder or stitcher16, atrimmer18, agripper conveyor20 which conveys products from thetrimmer18 to an in-feed conveyor22 or a drop table24, a wrapping assembly26 which includes apre-wrapper accumulating conveyor28, awrapper30, apost-wrapper accumulating conveyor32, and awrapper controller34, awrapper bypassing conveyor36 which conveys selected products from the in-feed conveyor22 to a mail table38, and further processing equipment such aspackaging equipment40. Various inkjet units, printer feeders, feeder pockets and product diverters may be positioned at various places along theprocessing system10 as needed and/or as desired as will be further discussed below. Theprocessing system10 according to the present invention combines an assembly operation42 with apackaging operation44 in a single in-line processing system10 which provides an output stream of products destined for delivery to, for example, a United States Post Office.
• A feature of the[0020]system10 is the system's capability to individually wrap selected products. A product may be individually wrapped if, for example, the product such as a magazine is the first issue going to a customer or subscriber and an invoice is to be included in the wrapping. Other products may not have to include an invoice and, therefore, they would not have to be wrapped. If a product is not to be wrapped, the product is picked up by thewrapper bypassing conveyor36 which bypasses the wrapping assembly26 and drops the products off at the mail table38. Those products that are intended to be wrapped are sent on to the wrapping assembly26. The products to be wrapped are held in thepre-wrapper accumulating conveyor28 until a predetermined sufficient number of products have been collected. After a certain number of products have been accumulated in thepre-wrapper accumulating conveyor28, the products are passed to thewrapper30 for individual wrapping. After the products are wrapped, the products are transported to thepost-wrapper accumulating conveyor32. The products are then held within thepost-wrapper accumulating conveyor32 until such time as the a products join up and merge with the bypassed products traveling along thewrapper bypassing conveyor36 at the mail table38 in order to produce the desired output order. A feature of the present invention is to allow selective wrapping of certain products and output a combined desired order of wrapped and non-wrapped products.
• To further illustrate the present invention, the invention will now be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIGS.[0021]2-6 in conjunction with the apparatus shown in FIG. 1. Any reference to a piece of equipment in theprocessing system10 will be shown in FIG. 1. Any reference to a Box will correspond to a process step found in the flow chart depicted in FIGS.2-6.
• To begin, a label file, comprising, for example, subscriber names, codes, addresses, messages, etc., is downloaded or inputted to the stitcher controller[0022]12 (Box46). The label file includes information which corresponds to each particular article or product of a set of products to be processed by thesystem10. Generally, the label file includes: coded information (a product build descriptor) designating the particular feeders to be activated along the binding line14 to build each product (i.e., the particular component signatures of the product); indicia of the identity and address of the subscriber for which each product is being assembled; and customization information, e.g., a particular message to be printed in each product, actuation indicia for a card inserter, an application device or the like. Such customization information may also include a coded designation (product selection control field) identifying products for which customized packaging is to be effected, e.g., the particular onsert dispensing units to be actuated, and when printers or inkjet units are to be employed.
• The inputted label file is referred to as the original label file. The label file is downloaded to the stitcher controller[0023]12 in a particular order which preferably represents the desired output order of the products to be processed by thesystem10. In other words, the products can be received by the mail table38 and sent on to thepackaging equipment40 according to the order set forth in the original label file. The label file may be downloaded to the stitcher controller12 in any number of proven ways such as, for instance, a magnetic tape or diskette or through any other known electronic means. Importantly, the label file includes an identifier for each product that requires wrapping. The stitcher controller12 may be any type of suitable controller commonly known to those skilled in the art, such as an FCS 1000 or an FCS 2000 inkjet controller from Quad/Tech, Inc., of Sussex, Wis., which is particularly suited for use according to the present invention.
• After the stitcher controller[0024]12 receives the original label file, thewrapper controller34 scans the original label file searching for the wrapper identifiers in order to determine which products require wrapping. Thewrapper controller34 may also be any type of suitable controller commonly known to those skilled in the art. However, the controllers identified above and available from Quad/Tech are particularly suited for use according to the subject invention. The stitcher controller12 and thewrapper controller34 should be capable of electronically communicating with each other. As thewrapper controller34 scans the original label file found within the stitcher controller12, thewrapper controller34 creates a sister label file (Box48). The sister label file contains the information for those products from the original label file that are intended to be wrapped.
• After the[0025]wrapper controller34 generates the sister label file, thewrapper controller34 also generates a running file which sequentially lists the order of the products as they will be assembled in the assembly line14 (Box50). As will be further explained below, the running file takes into account the accumulation of the products in the pre and post-buffer zones. Thus, preferably, the order of the products in the running file does not correlate with the order of the products in the original label file. Once the running file is generated and thewrapper controller34 communicates with the stitcher controller12, the manufacturing process begins (Box52).
• The stitcher controller[0026]12 controls the assembly process of the individual products as the products travel through the assembly operation42. The first part of the manufacturing process includes assembling the products in the assembly line14 which is made up of a collation line and/or a binding line as shown in FIG. 1. The products are assembled in the assembly line14 according to the order set forth in the running file.
• One or more printer feeders[0027]54 may be positioned along the assembly line14 in order to selectively feed inserts/onserts such as invoices, promotional material etc. within selected products or magazines as is well known in the art. One or more inkjet units or printers56 may also be positioned along the assembly line14 to selectively print on individual signatures as the signatures travel past the inkjet units56 as is also well known in the art. Data from the original label file will identify which products receive inserts/onserts or selective printing. The stitcher controller12 will electronically communicate with the printer feeders54 and/or inkjet units56 and/or other similar devices to identify when selective inserting/onserting or printing is desired for a given product being assembled.
• After individual signatures are assembled into collated products, the products are bound by a binder or stitcher[0028]16. Once bound, the individual products are sent through thetrimmer18. As generally understood by those skilled in the art, thetrimmer18 functions to trim or cut excessive material from each product and attempts to square one page of the product to the next.
• After the[0029]trimmer18, a sensor assembly59 is properly positioned at or aroundreference numeral60 so as to determine if each product is acceptable to continue on through the processing system10 (Box62). The sensor of the sensor assembly, also called a short book eye, may be an electronic sensor, an infra-red sensor or any other type of sensor in which, preferably, an emitter and a receiver are utilized. If after being trimmed, a product is not properly squared or is too short or is too long for example, the sensor assembly59 will indicate that the product is unacceptable to continue on through theprocessing system10. Typically, the sensor assembly operates in such a manner that if the emitter and the receiver of the sensor assembly are blocked at the same time, the product is usually acceptable. If the sensor eyes are not blocked at the same time, the product is usually not in a condition to continue.
• If the product is acceptable at sensor assembly[0030]59, a signal is sent by the sensor assembly59 to the stitcher controller12 so that a divert gate (not shown) positioned along the trimmer line64 at or aroundreference numeral66 is opened and the product is directed into thegripper conveyor20 or gripper conveyor1 so that the product can continue on through the processing system10 (Box68). If the product is not acceptable at sensor assembly59, a signal is sent by the sensor assembly59 to the stitcher controller12 so that the divert gate is closed and the product is removed from theprocessing system10 by suitable reject mechanisms (not shown) (Box70). The stitcher controller12 electronically communicates with the divert gate instructing the gate to open or close as needed.
• There are many different configurations of assembly lines, printer feeders, inkjet units, stitchers, stitchers, trimmers, sensors and divert gates known to those skilled in the art which are readily available from numerous commercial sources and which are capable for use according to the principles of the present invention. The manner of assembling, inserting, printing, binding and trimming the products is well known in the art and does not independently play a significant part of the present invention.[0031]
• It should be noted that the assembly operation[0032]42 may be monitored for the occurrence of errors in any number of known ways. Sensors or encoders may be located at strategic locations in the assembly operation42 and/orpackaging operation44 to sense the presence of acceptable or unacceptable products. Thecontrollers12 and34 will communicate with the appropriate mechanisms to remove an unacceptable product at a chosen location.
• Continuing on through the[0033]system10, products that pass the divert gate in the trimmer line64 are picked up by thegripper conveyor20 which connects the assembly operation42 with theoverall packaging operation44. Thegripper conveyor20 may be any type of conveyor suitable for use according to the principles of the present invention, which is generally known to those skilled in the art and readily available from numerous commercial sources. However, a single-copy gripper conveyor such as a NP-200 available from Heidelburg Finishing Systems, Inc., of Dayton, Ohio, is suitable for use according to the present invention. At this point, products will continue on through thesystem10 either backbone/spine leading or head/foot leading through the remainder of thesystem10. The original label file contains coded information which will inform the stitcher controller12 whether the products in a set of products will travel backbone/spine leading or head/foot leading through thepackaging operation44. Based upon this information, the stitcher controller12 will instruct thegripper conveyor20 as to how the products will continue on through the system10 (Box72).
• Preferably, for a given set of products, all of the products will either run backbone/spine leading or head/foot leading through the[0034]packaging operation44, not a combination of the two. As shown, thegripper conveyor20 either drops the products off at point A or point B. If the products are to travel head/foot leading through thesystem10, the products are dropped off at point A on the drop table24 (Box74). If the products are to travel backbone/spine leading through thesystem10, the products are dropped off at point B on the in-feed conveyor22 (Box76). The drop table24 may be a lugged conveyor generally known to those skilled in the art and commercially available from numerous sources. The in-feed conveyor22 may be any type of conveyor suitable for use according to the principles of the present invention, such as a lugged conveyor of the same type as the drop table24.
• As the products travel along the in-feed conveyor[0035]22, it must be determined whether a product is intended to be wrapped or not (Box78). The sister label file identifies which products in the stream of products are destined for thewrapper30. Thewrapper controller34 tracks the position of each product moving along the in-feed conveyor22 by preferably employing aconventional encoder79 positioned along the conveying line22. Thewrapper controller34 will instruct thewrapper bypassing conveyor36 which products to take possession of out of the stream of products and which products to let pass. Although not shown, a divert gate may be positioned at or around reference numeral77 to direct those products not destined for thewrapper30 into thewrapper bypassing conveyor36.
• If a product is not intended to be wrapped, that product is picked up by the[0036]wrapper bypassing conveyor36. If a product is intended to be wrapped, that product is directed toward the wrapping assembly26 (Boxes80 and82). Those products directed intowrapper bypassing conveyor36 orgripper conveyor2 will eventually be delivered to the mail table38 as will be further explained below. Thewrapper bypassing conveyor36 may be any type of conveyor suitable for use according to the principles of the present invention. However, a conveyor likegripper conveyor20 is suitable for use according to the present invention.
• The first portion of the wrapper assembly[0037]26 includes a first divertingconveyor84, thepre-wrapper accumulating conveyor28, and a second divertingconveyor86. Thepre-wrapper accumulating conveyor28 or accumulating conveyor number1 preferably includes at least two tiers, a top conveyor tier88 and abottom conveyor tier90. The purpose of providing at least two tiers will be more fully explained below. It is contemplated that thepre-wrapper accumulating conveyor28 comprises an indexing conveyor which cooperates with a clutch assembly in order to index or advance a cell or a slot one cell at a time as needed, or when a product is set to be delivered to theconveyor28. The first diverting device or divertingconveyor84 is located directly upstream of thepre-wrapper accumulating conveyor28. The divertingconveyor84 directs products into one or the other of thetiers88 and90 depending on whichtier88 or90 is accepting products.
• Located directly downstream of the[0038]pre-wrapper accumulating conveyor28 is the second diverting device or divertingconveyor86. This divertingconveyor86 conveys products from one or the other of thetiers88 and90 into the second portion of the wrapper assembly26 orwrapper30 depending on whichtier88 or90 is emptying products. The diverting devices may be of any commonly known diverting assemblies but diverting conveyors designed to separate a single stream of products into a plurality of streams of products or to combine a plurality of streams of products into a single stream of products are particularly suitable for use according to the principles of the present invention. The overall cooperation between the divertingconveyors84 and86,pre-wrapper accumulating conveyor28 and thewrapper30 will be more fully set forth below.
• In a typical manufacturing process, products are assembled, bound and trimmed at a rate of around 200-300 products per minute. The speed of the stitcher[0039]16 or assembly operation42 generally determines the rate at which products are assembled, bound and trimmed. Thegripper conveyor20, the drop table24, the in-feed conveyor22, thewrapper bypassing conveyor36, the divertingconveyor84, the diverting conveyor92 (described below), and the mail table38 preferably operate at the same speed as the stitcher16 or assembly operation42. Preferably, the speed of thetier88 or90 accepting products coincides with the speed of the stitcher16 or assembly operation42 (Box94). In this way, successive products entering theappropriate tier88 or90 will not collide with each other. If collision were to occur, this could cause theentire system10 to jam up which would require thesystem10 to be shut down in order to clear away the jam.
• As will be further explained, only one[0040]tier88 or90 is adapted to accept products at any given time.Wrapper controller34 sends a signal to divertingconveyor84 instructing the divertingconveyor84 as to whichtier88 or90 it should direct products. Products destined for thewrapper30 are fed into the selectedtier88 or90 for so long as the selectedtier88 or90 has additional accumulating space (Box96). As thetier88 or90 accepts products, thetier88 or90 will index to the next open cell until thetier88 or90 is full (Box98). A scanner, such as a scanner which utilizes an emitter and a receiver which is generally known to those skilled in the art and readily available from numerous commercial suppliers, may be appropriately positioned along thepre-wrapper accumulating conveyor28 in order to send a signal to thewrapper controller34 when thetier88 or90 accepting products is full.
• Upon learning that the[0041]tier88 or90 accepting products is full, thewrapper controller34 sends a signal to the divertingconveyor84 instructing the divertingconveyor84 to direct the next line of products into the other or empty tier88 or90 (Box100). This previouslyempty tier88 or90 continues to accept products for so long as it has additional accumulating space or until full and then the divertingconveyor84 shifts again in the same manner as above so as to divert the next line of products into the other or nowempty tier88 or90. Preferably, as onetier88 or90 is accepting products, theother tier88 or90 is emptying products into thewrapper30.
• Once[0042]tier88 or90 is full and a signal has been sent to thewrapper controller34, thewrapper controller34 sends a signal to thefull tier88 or90 to change the speed of thefull tier88 or90 to follow the speed of the wrapper30 (Box102). For the same reasons that thetier88 or90 that is accepting products should travel at the same speed as the stitcher16 or assembly operation42, thetier88 or90 feeding products to thewrapper30 should travel at the same speed as thewrapper30. Generally, awrapper30 will not travel as fast as a stitcher16 or assembly operation42. Thus, thetiers88 and90 of thepre-wrapper accumulating conveyor28 are preferably independently driven to travel at different speeds since thewrapper30 generally works at a different speed than assembly operation42.
• Once the speed of the[0043]full tier88 or90 has been changed to match that of thewrapper30, thefull tier88 or90 is set to deliver products to thewrapper30 and the wrapping process can begin (Box104). Thewrapper30 may be any type of wrapper known to those skilled in the art which is compatible with the principles of the subject invention. Thewrapper30 generally applies a transparent plastic film or paper wrap or band wrap, etc., around each product sent to the wrapping assembly26. Thewrapper30 should be capable of enveloping, severing, heating and sealing a plastic-like or paper-like protective film or packaging around each product. One such wrapper which is suitable for use according to the present invention is a L80-750 poly-wrapper, available from Sitma U.S.A. Corp., of St. Paul, Minn.
• A feature of the present invention is to send a number of products through the[0044]wrapper30 one after the other rather than intermittently send the products through a wrapper. The plastic film wrapping material used by a wrapper can be difficult to control, as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art. The wrapping material is very thin and extremely flimsy. As such, it is desirable to control the tension of the wrapping material. A continuous wrapping operation or at least a wrapping operation which operates to wrap sets of a plurality of products in a continuous manner leads to better control over the wrapping material versus an intermittent operation. Also, wrappers generally use knives to cut the wrapping material and heaters to heat the film or plastic or adhesive it utilizes so as to seal the wrapping material. The temperature of the knives and heaters affects the overall operation of a wrapper. Operating a wrapper continuously or at least for periods of continuous operation allows for better control over the temperatures of the knives and heaters thereby further enhancing the operation of a wrapper.
• Positioned along the[0045]wrapper line106 and/or thewrapper bypassing line108 may be one ormore inkjet units110 and/or one or more printer feeders112 similar to those previously described with reference to the assembly line14. Additionally, feeder pockets114 may also be positioned along thewrapper line106. Feeder pockets114 are generally known to those skilled in the art and are readily available from numerous sources. Theinkjet units110 and/or printer feeders112 can personalize a product with an insert or an onsert such as an invoice. The feeder pockets114 can also personalize a product with an insert or an onsert such as a promotional product which may include a CD-ROM disk or the like. When placing an insert in or an onsert on a particular product, it is important to place the insert or the onsert in the correct position in or on the product. An improperly placed insert or onsert may adversely affect the wrapping process as can be appreciated by those skilled in the art.
• The continuous wrapping process according to the present invention helps maintain the proper placement of an insert or an onsert versus the stop-and-go wrapping method of the prior art. As known in the art, some of the coatings found on certain products such as magazines are shinny and/or slippery. If an insert or an onsert such as a CD-ROM disk is placed in or on a product, the intermittent motion of prior art wrapper systems can cause the insert or the onsert to be shaken off of or out of the product or at least slid from the original position. The smooth continuous process of the[0046]wrapper30 according to the present invention minimizes the undesirable results of an insert or an onsert falling off of or out of a product or from shifting to an undesirable location on or in the product.
• The[0047]tier88 or90 delivering products to thewrapper30 continues to deliver products to thewrapper30 until such time as thattier88 or90 is empty (Box116). Once thetier88 or90 is completely emptied, a scanner, like the scanner previously described in reference to indicating whentier88 or90 is full, may be appropriately positioned along thepre-wrapper accumulating conveyor28 in order to send a signal to thewrapper controller34 such that thewrapper controller34 changes the speed of the now emptiedtier88 or90 back to the speed of the stitcher16 or assembly operation42 so that the now emptiedtier88 or90 is ready to accept products once theother tier88 or90 is full (Box118).
• As noted, as the products make their way through the[0048]wrapper30, the products may undergo selective inserting, onserting or printing (Box120). This information is controlled by the information contained within the original label file and copied to the sister label file (Box122). After thewrapper30 wraps the product and the film is sealed by thewrapper30 at aseal bar section124, the products are directed through anaccelerator section126 and towards thepost-wrapper accumulating conveyor32 or accumulating conveyor number2 (Box128).
• The[0049]post-wrapper accumulating conveyor32 is a part of a third portion of the wrapper assembly26 which also comprises a first diverting conveyor130 and the second diverting conveyor92. Thepost-wrapper accumulating conveyor32 is similar to thepre-wrapper accumulating conveyor28, and, therefore, thepost-wrapper accumulating conveyor32 preferably includes at least two tiers, atop conveyor tier132 and a bottom conveyor tier134. The pair of diverting conveyors130 and92 cooperate with thepost-wrapper accumulating conveyor32. Preferably, whichevertier88 or90 of thepre-wrapper accumulating conveyor28 is feeding product to thewrapper30, the diverting conveyor130 will direct product into the corresponding top132 or bottom134 tier of thepost-wrapper accumulating conveyor32. Whichevertier132 or134 is being filled, the speed of thattier132 or134 as controlled by thewrapper controller34 will match that of the wrapper30 (Box136). Thetier132 or134, accepting products will continue to accept products, for so long as the selectedtier132 or134 has additional accumulating space (Box138). As thetier132 or134 accepts products, thetier132 or134 will index to the next open cell until thetier132 or134 is full (Box140).
• A scanner such as the scanners described in reference to the[0050]pre-wrapper accumulating conveyor28 may be properly positioned along the postwrapper accumulating conveyer32 to send a signal to thewrapper controller34 when thetier132 or134 accepting products is full. Upon learning that thetier132 or134 is full, thewrapper controller34 sends a signal to the diverting conveyor130 instructing the diverting conveyor130 to direct the next line of wrapped products into the other orempty tier132 or134 (Box142). This previouslyempty tier132 or134 continues to accept product for so long as it has additional accumulating space or until full and then the diverting conveyor130 shifts again in the same manner as above so as to divert the next line of products into the other or nowempty tier132 or134. Preferably, as onetier132 or134 is accepting product, theother tier132 or134 is emptying product as will be further explained.
• Once[0051]tier132 or134 is full and a signal has been sent to thewrapper controller34, thewrapper controller34 sends a signal to thefull tier132 or134 to change the speed of thefull tier132 or134 to follow the speed of the stitcher16 or assembly operation42 (Box144). Thefull tier132 or134 is now ready to deliver products to the mail table38 (Box146). As should be apparent,tiers132 and134 are preferably independently driven.
• Until the[0052]full tier132 or134 is empty (Box148), thetier132 or134 selectively delivers product to the mail table38 to fill the empty slots found in the stream of products as thewrapper bypassing conveyor36 delivers product to the mail table38 (Box150). The merging of the products from thewrapper bypassing conveyor36 and thewrapper30 at the mail table38 will be further explained below with reference to the example provided herein. Once thetier132 or134 is empty, preferably a signal is sent to thewrapper controller34 by a scanner similar to those provided for above, so that thewrapper controller34 can change the speed following command of the nowempty tier132 or134 to return to that of thewrapper30 for the reasons stated above (Box152).
• The mail table[0053]38 is similar to the in-feed conveyor22 but may be any type of conveyor suitable for use according to the present invention. The products will be processed along the mail table38 preferably according to the order sent forth in the original label file. That is, preferably, the wrapped products that travel through the wrapper assembly26 and the unwrapped products which bypass the wrapper assembly26 by traveling along thewrapper bypassing conveyor36, are combined at the mail table38 according to the order of the original label file. Once the products reach the mail table38, a sensor assembly, like the sensor assembly positioned along the trimmer line64, may be properly positioned at or aroundreference numeral154 so as to determine if each product is acceptable to be packaged for mailing (Box156). Although not shown, a sensor like the one just mentioned may be appropriately placed along thewrapper line106 to determine if each product should continue on or be removed from theprocessing system10 consistent with the teachings of the present invention.
• If the product is acceptable at the mail table[0054]38, the product continues on to thepackaging equipment40. If the product is unacceptable, the product is diverted out of theprocessing system10 and a generic or replacement product is fed in its place (Box158). A generic product orbook feeder160 known to those skilled in the art is positioned along the mail table38 to feed a generic product when necessary. Although not shown, a generic product feeder may be appropriately placed along the trimmer line64 or any other suitable position to feed a generic product if a product is diverted from thesystem10. The original label file results will coincide with the mailing output even if a generic product is needed (Box162).
• Although not shown, inkjet units, printer feeders and/or feeder pockets may be positioned along the mail table[0055]38 if desired. In fact, such equipment may be placed anywhere along thesystem10 depending on the output desired. Typically, the final delivery address is placed on the product along the mail table38 but can be placed on the inside of the wrapping material so that a delivery person can look through the wrap to find the address.
• Having described the overall apparatus and method according to the present invention, to further illustrate the invention, a method according to the invention is described with reference to Tables I-III. In this example, the product series comprises 200 magazines. Table I consists of the Original Label File for 200 magazines and the information which is downloaded to the stitcher controller[0056]12 (Box46) where:
• S#=Sequence Number of Magazine;[0057]
• WI=Wrap Indicator, where 0 indicates that the magazine is not to be wrapped and 1 indicates that the magazine is to be wrapped;[0058]
• BT=Book Type which may be identified with numbers[0059]1-6 identifying various Book Types customized to particular customers; and
• WBT=Wrapped Book Type which may be identified with letters A-D identifying various Wrapped Book Types customized to particular customers; 0 indicates the magazine is not to be wrapped.[0060]

  TABLE I
  ORIGINAL LABEL FILE

  S#

  WI

  BT

  WBT

  S#

  WI

  BT

  WBT

  S#

  WI

  BT

  WBT

  S#

  WI

  BT

  WBT

  1	0	4	0		51	0	2	0		101	1	1	B		151	0	2	0
  2	0	2	0		52	1	5	C		102	0	3	0		152	0	2	0
  3	0	2	0		53	0	3	0		103	0	2	0		153	1	5	B
  4	1	1	D		54	0	4	0		104	0	4	0		154	0	3	0
  5	0	4	0		55	0	4	0		105	0	4	0		155	0	3	0
  6	0	4	0		56	0	3	0		106	0	3	0		156	0	2	0
  7	0	4	0		57	0	3	0		107	0	4	0		157	0	2	0
  8	0	3	0		58	1	1	C		108	0	4	0		158	1	1	D
  9	0	2	0		59	1	1	B		109	0	3	0		159	0	3	0
  10	0	3	0		60	1	1	B		110	0	2	0		160	0	4	0
  11	1	5	C		61	1	6	D		111	0	2	0		161	0	4	0
  12	0	3	0		62	0	3	0		112	1	1	A		162	1	1	A
  13	0	4	0		63	0	2	0		113	0	3	0		163	0	4	0
  14	0	4	0		64	0	4	0		114	0	4	0		164	0	2	0
  15	1	6	B		65	0	4	0		115	0	4	0		165	0	4	0
  16	0	4	0		66	0	3	0		116	0	4	0		166	0	4	0
  17	0	2	0		67	1	1	B		117	1	5	B		167	1	1	C
  18	0	3	0		68	0	3	0		118	0	3	0		168	0	3	0
  19	0	3	0		69	0	2	0		119	0	3	0		169	0	3	0
  20	0	3	0		70	0	2	0		120	0	2	0		170	0	3	0
  21	0	3	0		71	1	1	C		121	0	3	0		171	0	2	0
  22	0	2	0		72	0	2	0		122	0	4	0		172	1	1	C
  23	0	2	0		73	0	4	0		123	0	2	0		173	0	3	0
  24	0	4	0		74	0	4	0		124	1	1	D		174	0	4	0
  25	1	1	A		75	1	5	A		125	0	3	0		175	1	1	A
  26	0	3	0		76	0	2	0		126	0	3	0		176	0	2	0
  27	0	2	0		77	0	3	0		127	0	2	0		177	0	4	0
  28	0	2	0		78	0	2	0		128	0	2	0		178	1	6	D
  29	1	1	C		79	0	3	0		129	0	2	0		179	0	4	0
  30	0	3	0		80	0	2	0		130	1	1	C		180	1	1	C
  31	0	3	0		81	0	3	0		131	0	3	0		181	0	3	0
  32	0	4	0		82	0	3	0		132	0	3	0		182	0	2	0
  33	0	4	0		83	0	3	0		133	0	3	0		183	0	2	0
  34	0	4	0		84	1	5	C		134	1	1	B		184	0	2	0
  35	0	3	0		85	0	3	0		135	0	3	0		185	0	2	0
  36	0	4	0		86	1	1	C		136	0	4	0		186	0	2	0
  37	1	6	D		87	0	4	0		137	0	4	0		187	0	4	0
  38	0	2	0		88	1	1	B		138	1	5	C		188	0	3	0
  39	0	2	0		89	0	2	0		139	0	3	0		189	0	4	0
  40	0	2	0		90	0	3	0		140	0	2	0		190	1	1	D
  41	0	3	0		91	0	3	0		141	0	4	0		191	0	2	0
  42	1	6	D		92	0	3	0		142	0	3	0		192	0	4	0
  43	0	3	0		93	0	4	0		143	0	3	0		193	0	2	0
  44	0	4	0		94	1	6	C		144	0	2	0		194	1	6	B
  45	0	3	0		95	0	2	0		145	0	4	0		195	0	3	0
  46	0	3	0		96	0	2	0		146	1	1	B		196	0	3	0
  47	0	3	0		97	0	2	0		147	1	6	C		197	0	2	0
  48	0	4	0		98	0	4	0		148	0	3	0		198	1	1	D
  49	1	1	B		99	0	3	0		149	0	2	0		199	0	3	0
  50	0	3	0		100	0	4	0		150	0	2	0		200	0	2	0

• It should be noted that the original label file may contain additional data regarding each product than that shown.[0061]
• Table II consists of the Sister Label File generated by the wrapper controller[0062]34 (Box48) where:
• S#′=Sister Label Sequence Number of Magazine;[0063]
• WBT=Wrapper Book Type; and[0064]
• (OSN)=Original Sequence Number (S#) from the Original Label File.[0065]

  TABLE II
  SISTER LABEL FILE

  S#′	WBT	(OSN)	S#′	WBT	(OSN)	S#′	WBT	(OSN)	S#′	WBT	(OSN)

  1	D	(4)	11	B	(59)	21	B	(101)	31	D	(158)
  2	C	(11)	12	B	(60)	22	A	(112)	32	A	(162)
  3	B	(15)	13	B	(61)	23	B	(117)	33	C	(167)
  4	A	(25)	14	B	(67)	24	D	(124)	34	C	(172)
  5	C	(29)	15	C	(71)	25	C	(130)	35	A	(175)
  6	D	(37)	16	A	(75)	26	B	(134)	36	D	(178)
  7	D	(42)	17	C	(84)	27	C	(138)	37	C	(180)
  8	B	(49)	18	C	(86)	28	D	(146)	38	D	(190)
  9	C	(52)	19	B	(88)	29	C	(147)	39	B	(194)
  10	C	(58)	20	C	(94)	30	B	(153)	40	D	(198)

• As explained, the sister label file identifies which magazines from the original label file are intended to be wrapped. Thus, forty out of the original 200 magazines are intended to be wrapped.[0066]
• Table III contains the running file generated by the wrapper controller[0067]34 (Box50) where:
• RFS#=Running File Sequence Number of Magazine;[0068]
• PFS#=Pre-running File Sequence Number of Magazine [i.e., S# or (S#′)]; and[0069]
• OP#=Output Number of Magazine, which corresponds to the original sequence number (S#) from the Original Label File.[0070]

  TABLE III
  RUNNING FILE

  RFS#	PFS#	OP#	RFS#	PFS#	OP#	RFS#	PFS#	OP#	RFS#	PFS#	OP#
  1	(1)	4	51	31	31	101	81	81	151	137	137
  2	(2)	11	52	32	32	102	82	82	152	139	139
  3	(3)	15	53	33	33	103	83	83	153	140	140
  4	(4)	25	54	34	34	104	(37)	180	154	141	141
  5	(5)	29	55	35	35	105	85	85	155	142	142
  6	(6)	37	56	36	36	106	(38)	190	156	143	143
  7	(7)	42	57	(26)	134	107	87	87	157	144	144
  8	(8)	49	58	38	38	108	(39)	194	158	145	145
  9	(9)	52	59	39	39	109	89	89	159	148	148
  10	(10)	58	60	40	40	110	90	90	160	149	149
  11	(11)	59	61	41	41	111	91	91	161	150	150
  12	(12)	60	62	(27)	138	112	92	92	162	151	151
  13	(13)	61	63	43	43	113	93	93	163	152	152
  14	(14)	67	64	44	44	114	(40)	198	164	154	154
  15	(15)	71	65	45	45	115	95	95	165	155	155
  16	(16)	75	66	46	46	116	96	96	166	156	156
  17	(17)	84	67	47	47	117	97	97	167	157	157
  18	(18)	86	68	48	48	118	98	98	168	159	159
  19	(19)	88	69	(28)	146	119	99	99	169	160	160
  20	(20)	94	70	50	50	120	100	100	170	161	161
  21	1	1	71	51	51	121	102	102	171	163	163
  22	2	2	72	(29)	147	122	103	103	172	164	164
  23	3	3	73	53	53	123	104	104	173	165	165
  24	(21)	101	74	54	54	124	105	105	174	166	166
  25	5	5	75	55	55	125	106	106	175	168	168
  26	6	6	76	56	56	126	107	107	176	169	169
  27	7	7	77	57	57	127	108	108	177	170	170
  28	8	8	78	(30)	153	128	109	109	178	171	171
  29	9	9	79	(31)	158	129	110	110	179	173	173
  30	10	10	80	(32)	162	130	111	111	180	174	174
  31	(22)	112	81	(33)	167	131	113	113	181	176	176
  32	12	12	82	62	62	132	114	114	182	177	177
  33	13	13	83	63	63	133	115	115	183	179	179
  34	14	14	84	64	64	134	116	116	184	181	181
  35	(23)	117	85	65	65	135	118	118	185	182	182
  36	16	16	86	66	66	136	119	119	186	183	183
  37	17	17	87	(34)	172	137	120	120	187	184	184
  38	18	18	88	68	68	138	121	121	188	185	185
  39	19	19	89	69	69	139	122	122	189	186	186
  40	20	20	90	70	70	140	123	123	190	187	187
  41	21	21	91	(35)	175	141	125	125	191	188	188
  42	22	22	92	72	72	142	126	126	192	189	189
  43	23	23	93	73	73	143	127	127	193	191	191
  44	24	24	94	74	74	144	128	128	194	192	192
  45	(24)	124	95	(36)	178	145	129	129	195	193	193
  46	26	26	96	76	76	146	131	131	196	195	195
  47	27	27	97	77	77	147	132	132	197	196	196
  48	28	28	98	78	78	148	133	133	198	197	197
  49	(25)	130	99	79	79	149	135	135	199	199	199
  50	30	30	100	80	80	150	136	136	200	200	200

• Preferably, the original label file is in demographic address order. In this way, the final output which coincides with the original label file will be in an order which allows for the maximum postal savings as previously explained. The apparatus and method according to the present invention does not assemble the books in demographic order as should be apparent with reference to the running file representatively shown in Table III. Not having to assemble the books in demographic order allows for greater flexibility in the[0071]overall system10, particularly, the wrapping assembly26, in order to allow for improved results.
• As previously noted, a feature of the present invention is to provide a wrapping process which improves the overall operation of the[0072]wrapper30. As a result, when the manufacturing process begins (Box52), a predetermined number of products are sent to thepre-wrapper accumulating conveyor28. In this example, thepre-wrapper accumulating conveyor28 is adapted to hold twenty products, ten on the top tier88 and ten on thebottom tier90. It should be noted that thepre-wrapper accumulating conveyor28 can be adapted to hold more or less than twenty products depending on the circumstances in each case.
• With reference to Table II, there are forty magazines out of the list of 200 magazines that are to be wrapped in this set of products. With reference to Table III, the first twenty running file magazines correspond to the first twenty products to be wrapped as identified in Table II. Thus, the first ten magazines of the running file are sent to the top tier[0073]88 of the pre-wrapper accumulating conveyor28 (Boxes96 and98). Once tier88 is full, the next ten magazines are directed into tier90 (Box100). Astier90 is filling up, tier88 is emptying by sending the first ten products on to the wrapper30 (Box104). The ten magazines from tier88 are fed one right after the other through thewrapper30 and delivered totier132 of thepost-wrapper accumulating conveyor32 where the products are collected until such time as they are to be delivered to the mail table38 (Box128). Once tier88 is emptied and the speed control command changed as described above, tier88 is again ready to receive additional products aftertier90 is full. Preferably,tiers132 and134 are designed to accumulate the same number of products astiers88 and90.
• With reference to Table III, as the first twenty magazines are making their way towards the[0074]wrapper30, the twenty-first running file magazine is next in line. As shown in the running file list, the twenty-first running file magazine corresponds to the first original label file magazine and, therefore, the first output file magazine. As the twenty-first running file product makes its way through thesystem10, since it is not to be wrapped, it is picked up by thewrapper bypassing conveyor36. The twenty-second and twenty-third running file magazines correspond to the second and third output file magazines, respectively, neither of which is intended to be wrapped. As a result, the twenty-second and twenty-third magazines are also picked up by thewrapper bypassing conveyor36. The twenty-fourth running file magazine has been designated for wrapping. Thus, it will enter previously emptied tier88. The twenty-fifth through the thirtieth running file magazines will enter thewrapper bypassing line108. The thirty-first running file magazine, having been designated for wrapping, will enter the next position in tier88. The thirty-second running file magazine through the thirty-fourth running file magazines will enter thewrapper bypassing line108, and so on.
• When the twenty-fourth and the thirty-first running file magazines are removed from the stream of products on the conveying line[0075]22, a gap will be created in the stream of products traveling along thewrapper bypassing line108. As the twenty-first through twenty-third running file magazines are deposited on the mail table (the first, second and third output magazines), the fourth output magazine corresponds to a wrapped magazine as shown in Table I. With reference to Table III, the fourth output file magazine corresponds to the first running file magazine now cued up in thetop tier132 of thepost-wrapper accumulating conveyor32. After the third output magazine (i.e., the twenty-third running file magazine) is deposited on the mail table38 from thewrapper bypassing conveyor36, thepost-accumulating conveyor32 delivers the fourth output magazine (i.e., the first running file magazine) to the mail table38 which falls in line with the previously deposited output products. The first running file magazine will be deposited in the gap created between the twenty-third and twenty-fifth running file magazines in the stream of products that traveled along thewrapper bypassing line108. As a new gap reaches the mail table38, the appropriately destined product in thepost-wrapper accumulating conveyor32 will be delivered to the mail table38 to fill the gap.
• As should now be understood, the twenty-fourth running file magazine will travel through the wrapper assembly[0076]26 and be deposited on the mail table38 when output magazine one hundred one is scheduled to be deposited. This magazine will fill a gap created between running file magazines one hundred twenty and one hundred twenty one. As noted, the tier88 accepts the twenty-fourth running file magazine and the next nine magazines to be wrapped (RFS#'s 31, 35, 45, 49, 57, 62, 69, 72 and 78) before delivering these products to thewrapper30. As these RFS#'s are being delivered to thewrapper30,tier90 is ready to accept the next ten products to be wrapped (RFS#'s 79, 80, 81, 87, 91, 95, 104, 106, 108 and 114). The process continues until the last magazine is deposited on the mail table38.
• It should be recognized that the present invention greatly enhances the flexibility of customizing signatures in a binding and wrapping system and allows magazines having various types of customization to be produced for subscribers in a given postal zone. For example, it may be desirable to send to one subscriber an unwrapped magazine with personalized messages and send his neighbor, a new subscriber, a wrapped magazine including a coupon for free/discounted merchandise, a welcome greeting and a sample of a flat packaged new product such as a compact disk, a shampoo packet, or the like. Unlike prior art systems which wrap each customized publication apart from those publications bound in a binding system, the present invention provides improved selectivity by combining a binding line with a wrapping line, which saves money and time by wrapping only preselected products from a single stream of products, yet offers further customization and optimal sortation.[0077]
• The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, the description is not intended to limit the invention in the form disclosed herein. Consequently, variations and modifications commensurate with the above teachings in skill or knowledge of the relevant art, are within the scope of the present invention. The embodiments described herein are further intended to explain the best modes known for practicing the invention and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention as such, or other embodiments and with various modifications required by the particular applications or uses of the present invention. It is intended that the appended claims are to be construed to include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the prior art.[0078]
• Various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims.[0079]

Claims (20)

What is claimed is:

1. A method of assembling and organizing wrapped and unwrapped products, the method comprising:

providing an input list of products, the list including data identifying which of the products are to be wrapped and an order in which the products are to be arranged for shipment to similar demographic locations;

generating an operating list using information on the input list, the operating list identifying a sequence in which the products are to be assembled;

assembling the products in the order identified on the operating list;

dividing the assembled products into a first group containing products which will be wrapped and a second group containing products which will not be wrapped;

transporting the first group of products to a wrapper;

wrapping the first group of products; and

merging the first group of wrapped products and the second group of unwrapped products into the order set forth in the input list.

2. The method of

claim 1

wherein the products are magazines.

3. The method of

claim 1

wherein transporting the first group of products to a wrapper includes accumulating a predetermined number of products before the wrapper.

4. The method of

claim 3

wherein accumulating the predetermined number of products before the wrapper includes supplying the first group of products to the wrapper along multiple paths.

5. The method of

claim 4

wherein supplying the first group of products to the wrapper along multiple paths includes delivering products to the wrapper from one path while receiving products along a separate path.

6. The method of

claim 1

further comprising accumulating wrapped products before merging the first group of wrapped products and the second group of unwrapped products.

7. The method of

claim 6

wherein accumulating wrapped products before merging the first group of wrapped products and the second group of unwrapped products includes delivering the first group of products from the wrapper along multiple paths.

8. The method of

claim 7

wherein delivering the first group of products from the wrapper along multiple paths includes delivering wrapped products from the wrapper along one path while receiving wrapped products from the wrapper along a separate path.

9. The method of

claim 1

wherein the input list includes subscriber names, codes, addresses, or messages.

10. The method of

claim 1

wherein generating an operating list using information on the input list includes downloading the input list to a control system that determines which of the products require wrapping.

11. The method of

claim 10

wherein generating an operating list using information on the input list includes determining an assembly order based upon relative numbers of wrapped and unwrapped products.

12. The method of

claim 11

wherein generating an operating list using information on the input list includes determining an assembly order based upon amounts of products that are being delivered to similar demographic locations.

13. The method of

claim 1

wherein wrapping the first group of products includes providing an invoice within at least some of the wrapped products, the invoice being specified by the input list.

14. The method of

claim 1

wherein assembling the products includes assembling individualized products based on customization information within the input list.

15. The method of

claim 14

wherein wrapping the first group of products includes wrapping at least some of the products with customized packaging based on customization information within the input list.

16. The method of

claim 1

further comprising printing customized information onto at least some of the products based on customization information within the input list.

17. The method of

claim 1

further comprising packaging wrapped and unwrapped products together that are destined for shipment to similar demographic locations.

18. The method of

claim 17

wherein the similar demographic locations are postal zip codes.

19. The method of

claim 1

further comprising testing each of the products.

20. The method of

claim 19

wherein testing each of the products includes replacing unsatisfactory products with generic products while maintaining the order set forth in the input list.

Images