US3869117A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Flat-article separating apparatus for an automatic mail handling system and the like
Assignee: NEC Corp
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Filing: 1973-04-24
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Granted: 1975-03-04
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Expires: 1993-04-24
Abstract
Abstract A flat-article separating apparatus for an automatic mail handling system uses a feeding device to feed flat articles along an article transport path and means installed on the transport path to exert a braking force on the flat articles being transported along the transport path. The braking force is gradually increased along the transport path to progressively separate the flat articles. When desired, a pair of accelerating pinch rollers at the end of the transport path complete the separation process.
Inventors
- 👤 Shoichiro Yoshimura
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 16:13
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65H; B65H3/00; B65H3/02; B65H3/04; B65H3/042; B65H29/00; B65H29/66; B65H29/6654; B65H5/00; B65H5/24; B65H2301/00; B65H2301/40; B65H2301/42; B65H2301/423; B65H2301/4232; B65H2301/42322; B65H2511/00; B65H2511/20; B65H2511/22
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
207 words
A flat-article separating apparatus for an automatic mail handling system and the like, comprising: an article transport path including a moving surface, means for feeding flat articles along said article transport path, and braking means installed on said article transport path for giving a braking force to said flat articles under transportation along said article transport path, said braking force being gradually increased toward the delivery and of said article transport path, said braking means including a braking surface juxtaposed to said moving surface whereby the uppermost of a stack of overlapping flat articles comes into substantial contact with the surface of said braking means and the lowermost of said stack comes into substantial contact with said moving surface thereby causing said stack to be progressively spread along the direction of movement of said moving surface, said moving surface and the surface of said braking means being made of materials which satisfy the relationship K1 > K2 >> K3 where K1 is the coefficient of friction between said moving surface and a flat article to be separated, K2 is the coefficient of friction between said braking surface and a flat article to be separated, and K3 is the coefficient of friction between flat articles to be separated.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
207 words
A flat-article separating apparatus for an automatic mail handling system and the like, comprising: an article transport path including a moving surface, means for feeding flat articles along said article transport path, and braking means installed on said article transport path for giving a braking force to said flat articles under transportation along said article transport path, said braking force being gradually increased toward the delivery and of said article transport path, said braking means including a braking surface juxtaposed to said moving surface whereby the uppermost of a stack of overlapping flat articles comes into substantial contact with the surface of said braking means and the lowermost of said stack comes into substantial contact with said moving surface thereby causing said stack to be progressively spread along the direction of movement of said moving surface, said moving surface and the surface of said braking means being made of materials which satisfy the relationship K1 > K2 >> K3 where K1 is the coefficient of friction between said moving surface and a flat article to be separated, K2 is the coefficient of friction between said braking surface and a flat article to be separated, and K3 is the coefficient of friction between flat articles to be separated.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
23 words
A flat-article separating apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said moving surface is natural rubber and said braking surface is synthetic rubber.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
55 words
A flat-article separating apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said moving surface is a conveyor belt and said braking surface comprises a plurality of frictional members and resilient means connected to said frictional members for exerting increasing pressure between said frictional members and said conveyor belt along the direction of movement of the belt.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
A flat-article separating apparatus as recited in claim 3 wherein said resilient means comprises a plurality of leaf springs obliquely inclined to said conveyor belt and connected to respective ones of said frictional members.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
26 words
A flat-article separating apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said moving surface is a conveyor belt and said braking surface comprises a plurality of rollers.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
32 words
A flat-article separating apparatus as recited in claim 5 wherein said plurality of rollers each rotate providing a tangential surface velocity less than the velocity of the surface of said conveyor belt.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US2845267A
Cited
US3219339A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-03-03 | 1978-09-02 | 1979-03-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-03-03 | 1982-09-02 | 1983-03-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-03-03 | 1986-09-02 | 1987-03-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |