Apparatus for the automated processing of bulk mail and the like

An apparatus for extracting contents from a plurality of envelopes, comprising:

• means for severing edge portions of said envelopes, and for delivering said edge-severed envelopes from the severing means serially and one at a time;
• and
• means for extracting said contents from said edge-severed envelopes including;
• a pair of conveyor belts which diverge from a nip for receiving said edge-severed envelopes from said severing means, and vacuum means cooperating with said conveyor belts to separate faces of said envelopes from one another;
• and
• means for separating said contents from the separated faces of said envelopes;
• wherein said envelopes include documents contained between opposing envelope faces which are separated by said extracting means, and wherein said documents and said separated envelope faces are respectively passed to a plurality of thickness measuring means.

An apparatus for extracting contents from a plurality of envelopes, comprising:

• means for severing edge portions of said envelopes, and for delivering said edge-severed envelopes from the severing means serially and one at a time;
• and
• means for extracting said contents from said edge-severed envelopes including;
• a pair of conveyor belts which diverge from a nip for receiving said edge-severed envelopes from said severing means, wherein said pair of conveyor belts progressively diverge from one another, and vacuum means cooperating with said conveyor belts to separate faces of said envelopes from one another by drawing the faces of said envelopes along said diverging conveyor belts;
• and
• means for separating said contents from the separated faces of said envelopes, for discharge from said apparatus.