B43M 7/00
Devices for opening envelopes
Official title: Devices for opening envelopes (cutting tools in general B26)
B43M7/00 (Devices for opening envelopes) appears on 184 US grants and 82 published applications in this corpus.
Search patents in B43M- Granted patents
- 184
- Published applications
- 82
- Assignees
- 53
- Inventors
- 242
- Latest grant
- 3 Mar 2026
Filings by year
| Year | Granted patents | Published applications |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 4 | 0 |
| 1977 | 2 | 0 |
| 1978 | 7 | 0 |
| 1979 | 4 | 0 |
| 1980 | 6 | 0 |
| 1981 | 4 | 0 |
| 1982 | 7 | 0 |
| 1983 | 6 | 0 |
| 1984 | 0 | 0 |
| 1985 | 3 | 0 |
| 1986 | 2 | 0 |
| 1987 | 4 | 0 |
| 1988 | 2 | 0 |
| 1989 | 6 | 0 |
| 1990 | 6 | 0 |
| 1991 | 7 | 0 |
| 1992 | 10 | 0 |
| 1993 | 4 | 0 |
| 1994 | 5 | 0 |
| 1995 | 10 | 0 |
| 1996 | 3 | 0 |
| 1997 | 5 | 0 |
| 1998 | 8 | 0 |
| 1999 | 4 | 0 |
| 2000 | 6 | 0 |
| 2001 | 6 | 5 |
| 2002 | 1 | 2 |
| 2003 | 6 | 8 |
| 2004 | 1 | 5 |
| 2005 | 5 | 8 |
| 2006 | 2 | 1 |
| 2007 | 4 | 7 |
| 2008 | 2 | 5 |
| 2009 | 1 | 4 |
| 2010 | 2 | 5 |
| 2011 | 2 | 4 |
| 2012 | 2 | 2 |
| 2013 | 2 | 0 |
| 2014 | 5 | 4 |
| 2015 | 1 | 5 |
| 2016 | 3 | 5 |
| 2017 | 0 | 1 |
| 2018 | 4 | 0 |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 |
| 2020 | 2 | 2 |
| 2021 | 0 | 2 |
| 2022 | 1 | 1 |
| 2023 | 1 | 2 |
| 2024 | 2 | 2 |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 |
| 2026 | 2 | 2 |
By publication year. Applications have been published since 2001. 2026 runs to 8 Oct.
Subgroups
Granted patents
- B43M 7/02Devices for both opening envelopes and removing contents92
- B43M 7/002Hand tools34
- B43M 7/007Devices for opening envelopes: with cutting blades22
- B43M 7/005Devices for opening envelopes: with at least two cutting discs15
- B43M 7/004Including non-mechanical means10
- B43M 7/008Devices for opening envelopes: with a cylindrical cutter6
- B43M 7/001Devices for opening envelopes: with abrading or sawing wheels5
Recent patents
- Method and apparatus for processing envelopes containing contents3 Mar 2026US 12,565,392 B2Opex Corporation
- Cutter tool20 Jan 2026US 12,528,217 B2
- Method and apparatus for processing envelopes containing contents3 Sep 2024US 12,077,405 B2Opex Corporation
- Case unpacking system and method26 Mar 2024US 11,939,100 B2DLN Integrated Systems, Inc.
- Case unpacking system and method24 Jan 2023US 11,560,249 B2DLN Integrated Systems, Inc.
- Multifunctional opening tool11 Jun 2026US 2026/0158685 A1
- Cutter tool14 May 2026US 2026/0131492 A1
- Method and apparatus for processing envelopes containing contents28 Nov 2024US 2024/0391719 A1Opex Corporation
- Cutter tool11 Jul 2024US 2024/0227216 A1
- Hand tool with cutting device6 Apr 2023US 2023/0104575 A1
Most cited
By later US patents
- Apparatus for the automated processing of bulk mail and the like88US 4,863,037 AOpex Corporation · 1989
- Method and apparatus for determining the orientation of a document65US 5,240,116 AOpex Corporation · 1993
- Letter opener with protected recess for business card and removable slide-in cover55US 5,285,577 AQuick Point, Inc. · 1994
- Method and apparatus for determining the orientation of a document50US 5,397,003 AOpex Corporation · 1995
- Apparatus and method for checking the contents of envelopes and sorting documents by thickness45US 4,576,287 AOmation Corporation · 1986