Patent ID: 7481420

Claim:
An apparatus of feeding mailpieces, comprising: a supply conveyer for supporting thereon an array of mailpieces which are arranged in a tilted-backward position and moving such mailpieces forward; and a suction feeder located adjacent to the downstream end of said supply conveyer as viewed in the direction in which the mailpieces are moved by said supply conveyer, for picking up by suction a forefront mailpiece from said array of mailpieces on said supply conveyer; said suction feeder having a drum rotatable about its axis, a shaft rotatably supported in said drum and extending with the axis thereof oriented in parallel to and offset from the axis of said drum, an external gear fixed on said shaft for rotation therewith, a stationary internal gear engaging with said external gear, the gear ratio of said external gear to said internal gear being n:n+1, wherein n represents an integer, and a plurality of suction means arranged at positions which are radially spaced at a predetermined distance from said shaft and substantially equally angularly spaced from each other and movable integrally with said shaft in conjunction with the rotation of said drum for picking up each forefront mailpiece from said array of mailpieces on said supply conveyer.