Patent GB-1345480-A (GB)
Title: Method and apparatus for opening envelopes
IPC: B43M7/00
Filed: 1972-02-02
Abstract: 1345480 Opening envelopes; feeding sheets STEPHENS INDUSTRIES Inc 2 Feb 1972 4890/72 Headings B8C and B8R  An arrangement for opening sealed envelopes comprises a feeder station 100 wherein a stack of sealed envelopes is advanced, a pick-off station 200 wherein envelopes are individually removed from the stack, a cutting station 300 wherein the top edge of the envelope is cut off, a drop-shoot station 400 wherein the partiallyopen envelope is deposited in one of a series of trays 501 of a conveyer 500, a slitting station 600 wherein side edges of the envelope are slit to provide an envelope having opposed panels connected along the bottom edge only and wherein said panels are separated and held apart to facilitate manual removal of the contents at a sorting station 700. Feeder station 100, Fig. 1 and Figs. 4-7 (not shown), comprises opposed endless belt conveyers 111 enclosed in housings 102 and 103 mounted on a platform 101. The conveyers are provided with feed dogs 112 for advancing an envelope stack between the dogs until the stack trips a switch assembly 120, 121 to deenergize a D.C. motor driving the conveyers. The housing 103 and associated conveyer are laterally adjustable by a rack and pionion mechanism 105-110 to accommodate different sized envelopes. A cam-operated jogger plate 123 is provided in the platform between the housings. Pick-off station 200, Fig. 8 and Figs. 4, 9 and 10 (not shown) comprises a suction cup 204, which is pivotable up and down through a keyhole slot 202 in platform 201 by means of a cam-operated linkage 203-213 to engage the first envelope of a stack and to deposit it face down on to the platform. A spring-biassed plate 217, which is displaced by the downward return of the cup through the slot, actuates a linkage 219-222 which slides a striker 222 to the right as seen in Fig. 8 to knock the facedown envelope into the first cutting station 300. Fist cutting station 300, Fig. 1 and Figs. 8 and 9 (not shown), comprises two longitudinally staggered endless conveyers 303, 307, which are surmounted by weighted rollers 366 and shoes 310 repsectively and which convey the envelope over a platform 301 and between a pair of cutter wheels. The wheels cut the top edge off the envelope and deposit the cut-off sliver down a shoot 313. The conveyers and a guide fence 315 are inclined towards a platform wall 302 so that the envelope top edge is abutted against the wall. Shoot station 400, Figs. 11 and 12 (not shown), comprises a slotted platform 401 which receives the envelope from the cutting station. Pivoted fingers 408 are located in the slots and are actuated by a cam-operated linkage 410-412 to eject the envelope from the platform and down a shoot 416 into one of a plurality of envelope trays 501 carried on a conveyer 500. The envelope is held upright on its bottom edge by guide rails 419, which are positioned at the base of the shoot. Envelope trays, Figs. 2 and 3 (not shown), are each of shallow V-section, the sloping side walls 509 being provided with central openings 511 and side slots 512. The trays carry the envelopes through the second cutting station 600 and the sorting station 700. Slitting station, Fig. 14 and Figs. 13, 15 arid 16 (not shown), comprises pairs of coupled shafts 609, 616 and 607, 616 which are mounted above and across the tray conveyer for relative manual adjustment on threaded rods 603, 613. The shafts 609 and 607 carry arcuate envelopecentering fingers 626, 631, which are pivoted downwardly on rotation of the shafts to engage the opposite side edges of an envelope carried by a tray into the cutting station. The shafts 616 carry segmentally-shaped knife blades 643, which are pivoted downwardly to enter the envelope and slit through the side edges. The envelope is then cut along its top edge and two sides. To facilitate the entry of the knife blades into the envelope, suction caps 650 are initially pivoted upwardly through the tray openings 511 into engagement with the opposite walls of the envelope and then slightly retracted to separate said walls. After the blades have slit the side edges, the cups are again pivoted up to grasp the envelope walls, should such a grasp have been lost during slitting, and then pivoted downwardly through the tray openings to deposite the separated walls of the envelope against the sloping walls of the tray. The walls of the envelope are held flat against the tray walls after the suction cups have been released therefrom by suction bars 513, Fig. 3 (not shown), which are applied to the tray openings and slots 511, 512 and which extend through the slitting and sorting stations.  Sorting station.-At this station, the contents  of the letters are manually removed, and the envelopes discharged into a waste bin 704.