U.S. patent number 3,726,454 [Application Number 05/210,537] was granted by the patent office on 1973-04-10 for envelope opening machine.
Invention is credited to Daniel T. Robbins.
United States Patent |
3,726,454 |
Robbins |
April 10, 1973 |
ENVELOPE OPENING MACHINE
Abstract
An automatic envelope opening machine for high speed opening of
envelopes having snap-out opener flaps defined by perforations,
scoring or otherwise weakened lines on the envelope specially made
for use in such machines. The machine has two suction opener
rollers and the envelopes pass therebetween, simplifying the
initial charging of the magazine since the envelopes need not all
be oriented in the same manner and the address side may be toward
the top or bottom. The offset arrangement of the rollers allows the
magazine to be easily accessible and gravity operated with a unique
stack pressure spoiler incorporated in the magazine. Improved
structure of the extractor and opener rollers prevents jamming of
the machine. The very high speed operation greatly simplifies the
maintenance of adequate suction.
Inventors: |
Robbins; Daniel T. (Burbank,
CA) |
Family
ID: |
22783288 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/210,537 |
Filed: |
December 21, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
225/99; 53/381.7;
83/912; 271/96; 271/104; 271/171; 53/381.6; 225/106; 271/99;
271/166 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B43M
7/00 (20130101); Y10T 225/343 (20150401); Y10T
225/393 (20150401); Y10S 83/912 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B43M
7/00 (20060101); B26f 003/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;53/381R ;225/99,100,106
;83/912 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: McGehee; Travis S.
Claims
I claim:
1. An envelope opening machine for opening envelopes having
snap-out opener flaps; said machine comprising:
a pair of slightly spaced parallel rollers;
means to drive said rollers in opposite directions and thereby
defining a kinetic throat;
envelope extractor means forming a continuum of said throat;
said rollers having suction ports;
a magazine wherein envelopes may be stacked, said magazine having
an exit opening at said throat and disposed so that said suction
port of one roller traverses said opening;
whereby said one roller feeds envelopes one at a time into said
throat, and each one of said rollers peels back snap-out opener
flaps on the side of the envelopes proximal to that roller as the
envelopes traverse said throat.
2. An envelope opening machine according to claim 1 wherein said
magazine is substantially vertical and the rollers are vertically
and horizontally offset relative to each other with said throat
inclining downwardly from said opening, whereby operative access to
said magazine is maximized and the stack of envelopes is gravity
fed toward said opening.
3. An envelope opening machine according to claim 1 wherein each of
said rollers has two suction ports similarly peripherally spaced
apart.
4. An envelope opening machine according to claim 1 wherein said
conduit means includes end walls on said rollers and conduits
leading from said suction outlets to and through said end
walls;
face plates frictionally engaging said end walls and having arcuate
slots communicating with the ends of said conduits, one conduit at
a time in each roller; and
a source of vacuum connecting with said slots.
5. An envelope machine according to claim 4 wherein said face
plates are relatively adjustable about the axes of the rollers for
accurate timing of the actuation of the suction ports.
6. An envelope machine according to claim 1 wherein said magazine
has a stopper element vertically adjustably mounted thereon and
extending thereinto to tilt envelopes in the magazine downwardly
toward said opening.
7. An envelope opening machine for opening envelopes having
snap-out opener flaps; comprising:
an envelope magazine into which a plurality of envelopes can be
stacked;
a suction feed roller operatively mounted for feeding said
envelopes one at a time from the bottom of the stack;
said suction feed roller having a plurality of suction ports, one
port providing suction engagement with the lowermost envelope to
translate the same during said feeding, and a second suction port
relatively peripherally spaced from the first to apply suction to a
snap-out opener flap of the envelope; and
extracting means for the opened envelopes.
8. A machine according to claim 7 and including a second roller
having at least one suction port and operatively mounted to contact
the side of the envelope opposite to the side contacted by said
feed roller, so that the envelopes may be stacked with said
snap-out opener flaps toward either one of said rollers.
9. A machine according to claim 8 wherein said second roller is
operationally connected with said feed roller to time the
presentation of the suction port of the second roller in relation
to the envelope feeding of the feed roller.
10. A machine according to claim 7 wherein said extracting means
comprises a pair of oppositely rotating parallel, slightly spaced
rollers having a reduced diameter portion at the central portions
thereof to accommodate the extra thickness represented by said
flaps in the peeled back position thereof.
11. A machine according to claim 7 wherein said extending means
includes a pair of oppositely rotating, parallel, slightly spaced
rollers, both rollers being of resilient material and both being
driven to lessen the friction and wear on said rollers.
12. A machine according to claim 7 wherein said envelope magazine
has a stack pressure spoiler having a portion extending into one
side of said magazine to provide a hang-up effect on the stacked
envelopes and substantially free the lowermost one or two
envelopes.
13. A machine according to claim 7 wherein said magazine has a
discharge gate element limiting the removal rate of said envelopes
to one envelope at a time, said gate element having an endless band
of resilient material progressively shiftable around said gate
element when the portion of the band of the gate becomes unduly
worn.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Envelopes capable of being opened by machines have been developed
by applicant and others, those patented by applicant being
disclosed in the U.S. patents, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos.
3,297,235 and 3,620,441. These envelopes have lines of perforations
defining snap-out flaps as portions of the end flaps of the
envelope. The prior art also includes machines for processing such
envelopes, represented by applicant's machine disclosed in U.S.
Pat. No. 3,549,067 which shows the broad combination of a magazine,
a single rotating roller with a single suction port contrating the
lowermost envelopes in the stack, and extractor rollers ensuring
the further travel of the envelopes being opened. There is a
demonstrated need, however, for a machine of improved design, with
greater operating speed or capacity, greater assurance against
jamming, greater ease in initial stacking or sorting, making it
unnecessary to turn all envelopes with the address up or the
address down, and an ability to process newly developed easy-open
envelopes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention as claimed fills the aforementioned need and
comprises a pair of rollers, the first or lower roller functioning
as a feed roller with one suction port activated, and as an opener
roller when its second suction port is later activated, the
peripheral spacing of the ports being dictated, in actual practice,
by the length of the envelopes and the configuration of the
snap-out flaps. A second roller is mounted in vertically and
horizontally offset relation to the first so that the magazine may
have a bottom edge exit opening traversed by the feed roller and
yet permitting vertical stacking of the envelopes with the exposure
of each envelope to a suction port in the second, or upper, roller
at the proper instant to contact a snap-out flap in an envelope
which may have been placed in an inverted or address-down position
in the magazine. A stack pressure spoiler prevents undue pressure
build-up on the lowermost envelopes in the stack, and both of the
extractor and opener rollers have novel structure facilitating
manufacture, maintenance while greatly increasing the speed or
capacity, which incidentally reduces the problem of maintaining
adequate suction. The magazine has an improved gate.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the machine;
FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2--2 in FIG.
1 and showing a suction port of the lower roller engaging an
envelope in the feeding step;
FIG. 3 is a view of the back of an envelope ideally suited for use
in this machine;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to FIG. 2 but
looking in the opposite direction and showing, on an enlarged
scale, the other suction port of the lower roller being shown as
peeling the snap-out flap at the trailing end of the envelope being
opened;
FIG. 5 is a similarly enlarged detail view taken substantially on
the suction line 5--5 in FIG. 4; and
FIG. 6 is a view, partly in section, taken on the line 6--6 in FIG.
5.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As illustrated, the machine is housed in a cabinet 10 with a flat
top 12. A magazine, generally indicated at 14, comprises two
lateral guides 16, a forward guide 18 and a rear guide 22. The
forward guide adjustably mounted by base flanges 19 has a
gate-defining endless belt 20 encircling the upright portion of the
guide. The belt 20 passes through a slot in the guide and defines
the upper edge of the magazine gate, as at 21 and it will be noted
this gate accepts only one envelope at a time. A rear guide has an
attaching flange 24 adjustably held by a thumbscrew 26 and an
upright portion flaring outwardly like the other guides at the top
as at 28. A vertically adjustable stack pressure spoiler 30 has a
terminal 32 inwardly turned through the suitably apertured guide 22
do engage edges of envelopes to relieve stack pressure on the
lowermost one or two envelopes 36. A vertically adjustable stopper
element 42 has a large head within the magazine to tilt the
lowermost one or two envelopes 36 toward the magazine opening
40.
The lower roller 44, as shown, combines the functions of feeding
and opening, and the upper roller 46 in this same illustrated form
of the invention functions only in opening. Both rollers 44 and 46
are fixed to shafts 48 and 50, respectively, which in turn are
journalled in bearings 52 supported by cabinet members 54. A pair
of tapered plate-like frames 56 and a second pair of generally
similarly shaped frames 56 and a second pair of generally similarly
shaped frames 58 embrace the rollers 44 and 46, the frames 58
having faceplates 60 frictionally abutting the rollers 44 and 46
and adjustably held in place in the frames 58 by suitable means
indicated at 62.
The rollers 44 and 46 have end plates 64 and conduits 65 lead
through said end plates internally of the rollers to suction ports
66, two in each roller, ordinarily diametrically opposed. Each
suction port is preferably equipped with a resilient grommet
terminal 68 which aids in assuring good contact with the envelopes.
Arcuate troughs or slots 70, opening only toward the rollers 44 and
46 and radially corresponding with the adjacent ends of the
conduits 65, are provided on the inside surfaces of the face plates
60, and the slots 70 communicate with separate sources of vacuum
indicated diagrammatically at 71 and 72 through tubes 73 and 74
having suitable connections 76 and 78 with the face plates.
The drive means for the rollers 44 and 46 is represented as a motor
80 and a chain drive 82 with sprockets 84 and 86 on the ends of
shafts 48 and 50. The rollers 44 and 46 are thus rotated in
opposite directions at the same speed.
Extractor rollers 88 and 90 are rotatively mounted on and between
the opposed reduced ends of the tapered frames 56 and 58 and the
extractor roller shafts are likewise journalled in frame supported
bearings . These rollers 88 and 90 are reduced in diameter as at 92
toward the center and are preferably of resilient material having
non-slip characteristics, such as synthetic rubber, and both
rollers 88 and 90 must be driven to prevent abasion thereof and may
be driven by belts 94 from pulleys 96 associated with the sprockets
84 and 86, or by the chain 82.
It will now be evident that the rollers 44 and 46 define a kinetic
throat 98 into which envelopes 36 are driven by the feed roller 44
when one of the suction ports 66 of that roller traverses the
opening 40 and contacts the lowermost envelope. The throat 98 is
ofcourse continued in effect to and between the extractor rollers
88 and 90 and the envelope is pulled longitudinally thereby toward
the discharge chute 100 and hopper 102. In this regard it will be
understood that the first suction port of the roller 44 to contact
the envelope may not have any opening action on the envelope may
not have any opening action on the envelope but will pull the same
from the magazine so that the extractor rollers 88 and 90 virtually
take over the envelope translation action while the second suction
port of the roller 44 rotates into position to contact the snap-out
flap 104 of a suitable envelope 106. The circumferential
measurement between the suction ports will thus be seen to be
necessarily related to the length of the envelope and configuration
of the snap-out flap but this is not a problem since the envelopes
and machines will ordinarily be closely related in both the
manufacturers and users. The utility of the second roller 46 will
now also be evident since it rotates in unison with the rollers 44
and a suction port in the roller 46 will therefore always be in
position to peel back a snap-out flap 14 on the upper side of the
envelopes which can be inserted into the magazine 14 with the
address side up or down.
It is important to note that provision of envelopes constructed as
indicated in FIG. 3 with identical and symmetrical configuration at
each end of the envelope simplifies the construction of the present
envelope opener since both rollers can then be made identical with
the suction ports disposed centrally.
Employment of two rollers 46 and 48 tends to balance the suctional
pull, thus maintaining the envelopes oriented properlY in kinetic
throat 98, even without contact with the frames 56-58 which
ofcourse define the lateral edges of said throat.
* * * * *