Mail singulating apparatus
AssigneePitney Bowes Inc.
InventorsJohn J. O'Brien, Russell W. Holbrooik
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Singulating apparatus for singulating mail pieces of varying sizes and thickness comprises reversely-driven belts mounted in a four-bar linkage that pivots upwardly to allow bottom most mail pieces through while driving backward overlying mail pieces.
Claims14
Singulator apparatus for separating individual articles from a stack of articles, comprising a deck, forwardly driving means for contracting the articles along one surface and moving the articles forwardly along a main path, said forwardly driving mechanism mounted to the deck to move said articles over the deck surface, a reversely driving mechanism for contacting the articles along another surface to drive backwards all but one of the articles, said reversely driving mechanism comprising a four-bar linkage arranged in the shape of a rhombus at least one belt rotatably mounted around the four-bar linkage, said four-bar linkage being mounted over said deck, and mens for causing the belt while reversely driven to maintain contact with the other surface of the articles.
Apparatus for processing mail pieces comprising means for supply multiple mixed mail pieces, a singulator for separating individual mail pieces, means for transporting mail pieces from the supplying means to the singulator, and means downstream of the singulator for taking away the singulated mail pieces, said singulator comprising a singulator nip formed between forwardly driving means and a reversely driven belt having a four-bar linkage arranged in the shape of a rhombus, and means for mounting of the reversely driven belt for movement relative to the forwardly driving means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.