Removable sheet feeder with jam clearance for use in an envelope inserting machine

An envelope inserting machine including a chassis having an upstream and a downstream end, an envelope feeder in a downstream end for releasing envelopes, and a conveying mechanism having a moving surface extending over at least one part of the chassis and moving from the upstream end to the downstream end in a moving direction, said envelope inserting machine comprising:

• a plurality of mounting supports fixedly mounted on the chassis along the moving direction;
• and
• a plurality of sheet feeders releasably mounted on the mounting supports for releasing sheet material items onto the moving surface of the conveying mechanism;
• wherein the sheet feeder comprises:
• a frame;
• a tray, mounting on the frame, for supporting the stack of the sheet material items;
• means, located adjacent to the bottom of the stack, for retrieving the items;
• a feeding channel, located adjacent to the retrieving means, for channeling the retrieved items to the conveying mechanism, wherein the feeding channel comprises a first channel guide and a second channel guide spaced apart to define a releasing path for guiding the retrieved items through the releasing path, and wherein the first channel guide is removably mounted on the frame so as to allow the first channel guide to be separated from the second channel guide for jam clearance and maintenance of the feeding module;
• and
• means, attached to the frame, for securing the feeding module to one of the mounting supports.