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AssigneeBell & Howell Mail and Messaging Technologies Company
InventorsKevin Button, James Biggers, Douglas McLean, John Corradini
Estimating the term…
An apparatus for high speed packing of envelopes is disclosed. The apparatus includes an envelope flap opening assembly which facilitates the opening of each envelope by a finger of an opening element as the envelope passes through packing apparatus. Each envelope may then be conveyed into a first staging assembly where the envelope is stopped, allowing a freely rotating conveyor to force the envelope into contact with an ejection conveyor to direct the envelope from the first staging assembly. The envelope is then transported to the packing assembly by an intermediate conveyor having a plurality of distinctly and selectively driven conveyors to allow staging of the envelopes along the intermediate conveyor. A quick and efficient envelope packing assembly then packs the envelopes and ejects the envelope to an exiting conveyor which seals each packed envelope.
An envelope opening assembly for opening a flap of an envelope such that said flap is moved from a closed position, at an acute angle to the envelope, to an open position, at least at an obtuse angle to the envelope, said assembly comprising:
A device for moving an envelope flap of an envelope from a closed position to an open position as said envelope is moved along a path by a conveyor assembly, said device comprising:
A method of moving a flap of an envelope from a closed position to an open position as said envelope is advanced along a path by a conveyor assembly, said method comprising the steps of:
A system for moving an envelope flap of an envelope having a leading edge and a trailing edge, from a closed position to an open position, said system comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.