Mailing machines

Claim 1

A SEPARATOR AND SPACER MECHANISM FOR A GENERAL PURPOSE MAILING MACHINE OR THE LIKE INCLUDING A CONVEYOR FOR MOVING MAILING PIECES ALONG A GIVEN PATH THROUGH THE MACHINE, SAID MECHANISM COMPRISING: SEPARATOR MEANS POSITIONED TO LIMIT MOVEMENT OF MAILING PIECES INTO THE MACHINE TO ONE MAILING PIECE AT A TIME; GUIDE MEANS FOR DEFLECTING EACH MAILING PIECE FROM SAID PATH, AT AN ACUTE ANGLE, IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING SAID SEPARATOR MEANS; A SPACER GATE MEMBER MOVABLE BETWEEN AN INITIAL POSITION, IN WHICH THE GATE MEMBER IS DISPLACED FROM SAID PATH TO PERMIT FREE PASSAGE OF A MAILING PIECE, AND A BLOCKING POSITION IN WHICH SAID GATE MEMBER EXTENDS INTO SAID PATH AND BLOCKS MOVEMENT OF ANY MAILING PIECE THEREALONG, THE BLOCKING PORTION OF SAID GATE MEMBER EXTENDING NORMAL TO SAID GUIDE MEANS, A SPACER ACTUATING MEMBER, PROJECTING INTO SAID PATH BEYOND SAID GATE MEMBER, SAID SPACER ACTUATING MEMBER BEING MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN AN INITIAL POSITION AND AN ACTUATION POSITION BY ENGAGEMENT WITH A MAILING PIECE MOVING ALONG SAID PATH; RESILIENT DRIVE MEANS, CONNECTING SAID ACTUATING MEMBER TO SAID GATE MEMBER, FOR DRIVING SAID GATE MEMBER FROM ITS INITIAL POSITION TOWARD ITS BLOCKING POSITION IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT OF SAID ACTUATING MEMBER TO ITS ACTUATION POSITION, BUT PERMITTING SAID GATE MEMBER TO RIDE UPON THE SURFACE OF EACH MAILING PIECE IN AN INTERMEDIATE POSITION UNTIL THE TRAILING EDGE OF THE MAILING PIECE CLEARS THE SPACER GATE MEMBER TO ITS BLOCKING POSITION; AND MEANS FOR RESTORING SAID GATE MEMBER AND SAID ACTUATING MEMBER TO THEIR RESPECTIVE INITIAL POSITIONS EACH TIME THE TRAILING EDGE OF A MAILING PIECE CLEARS SAID ACTUATING MEMBER.