Patent ID: 7703769

Claim:
A device for separating overlapping, flat items of mail in an upright position in a transport path, comprising a plurality of separating sections that are arranged in the transport path and have transport belts; a stationary retaining strip running over a length of all separating sections that is attached on the transport path on a side opposite the transport belts and that operates on the mail items with friction force; and pressure elements for pressing the retaining strip onto transported mail items that are distributed over a length of the retaining strip, wherein each pressure element comprises a coupling lever, rotationally-mounted pressure rollers and an elastic belt loop, wherein the belt loop is attached to the retaining strip in each case to a back of the retaining strip by an approximately point-type connection in longitudinal direction of the belt, wherein the belt loop is guided via the rotationally-mounted pressure rollers on ends of the coupling lever running in longitudinal direction of the retaining strip, and wherein the coupling lever is displaceably supported on a pivot axis running perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the retaining strip and parallel to the retaining strip.