US3878025A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Envelope flap sealing mechanism
Assignee: Pitney Bowes Inc
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Filing: 1974-04-08
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Granted: 1975-04-15
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Expires: 1994-04-08
Abstract
Abstract An envelope flap sealing mechanism for sealing the moistened flap of an unsealed envelope. The mechanism provides a parallelogram linkage for relieving pressure upon the envelope flap as it is introduced to a sealing roller. This pressure relieving mechanism allows the flap of the envelope to take a proper and uniform seal orientation with respect to the body of the letter. Without this pressure relief, the envelope flap would often receive a high seal.
Inventors
- 👤 Anthony Storace
- 👤 Paul R Sette
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 08:43
CPC Classifications
B; B43; B43M; B43M5/00; B43M5/04; B43M5/042; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T156/00; Y10T156/17; Y10T156/1702; Y10T156/1712; Y10T156/1741
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
216 words
An envelope flap sealing mechanism which prevents the flap of an unsealed letter from being high-sealed to a body portion of the envelope, said flap sealing mechanism comprising: means defining an envelope feed path for conveying an envelope in substantially vertical orientation past a flap sealing roller; a belt for transporting the envelope along said feed path with said substantially vertical orientation. a pair of rotative, spaced-apart guide rollers disposed continuously along said feed path and supporting said belt; a flap sealing roller disposed adjacent of one of said guide rollers for receiving an unsealed envelope therebetween, and for causing the flap of said envelope to press upon the body of the envelope as the envelope moves past; means for biasing said flap sealing roller towards sealing engagement with the adjacent guide roller; and linkage means interconnecting said pair of spaced-apart guide rollers, said linkage means interconnecting said guide rollers such that said pair of guide rollers move in unison, and each of said guide rollers being substantially equally movable with respect to said feed path, said belt supported by the guide rollers consequently being substantially uniformly movable with respect to said feed path, whereby an unsealed envelope being transported by said belt will be properly and uniformly sealed as it moves past said sealing roller.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
216 words
An envelope flap sealing mechanism which prevents the flap of an unsealed letter from being high-sealed to a body portion of the envelope, said flap sealing mechanism comprising: means defining an envelope feed path for conveying an envelope in substantially vertical orientation past a flap sealing roller; a belt for transporting the envelope along said feed path with said substantially vertical orientation. a pair of rotative, spaced-apart guide rollers disposed continuously along said feed path and supporting said belt; a flap sealing roller disposed adjacent of one of said guide rollers for receiving an unsealed envelope therebetween, and for causing the flap of said envelope to press upon the body of the envelope as the envelope moves past; means for biasing said flap sealing roller towards sealing engagement with the adjacent guide roller; and linkage means interconnecting said pair of spaced-apart guide rollers, said linkage means interconnecting said guide rollers such that said pair of guide rollers move in unison, and each of said guide rollers being substantially equally movable with respect to said feed path, said belt supported by the guide rollers consequently being substantially uniformly movable with respect to said feed path, whereby an unsealed envelope being transported by said belt will be properly and uniformly sealed as it moves past said sealing roller.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
29 words
The envelope flap sealing mechanism of claim 1, wherein said linkage means comprises a four-bar linkage with the guide rollers being tied to a common bar extending between them.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
28 words
The envelope flap sealing mechanism of claim 2, wherein said four-bar linkage comprises links arranged as a parallelogram with the guide rollers bieng supported by equal pivotable links.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
195 words
An envelope flap sealing mechanism which prevents the flap of an unsealed letter from being high-sealed to a body portion of the envelope, said flap sealing mechanism, comprising: means defining an envelope feed path for conveying an envelope past a flap sealing roller; a belt for transporting the envelope along said feed path; a pair of rotative, spaced-apart guide rollers disposed contiguously along said feed path and supporting said belt; a flap sealing roller disposed adjacent one of said guide rollers for receiving an unsealed envelope therebetween, and for causing the flap of said envelope to press upon the body of the envelope as it moves past; means for biasing said flap sealing roller towards sealing engagement with the adjacent guide roller; and a parallelogram linkage means interconnecting said pair of spaced apart guide rollers such that said guide rollers move in unison, and are substantially equally movable with respect to said feed path, said belt supported by said guide rollers consequently being substantially uniformly movable with respect to said feed path, whereby an unsealed envelope being transported by said belt will be properly and uniformly sealed as the envelope moves past said sealing roller.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
195 words
An envelope flap sealing mechanism which prevents the flap of an unsealed letter from being high-sealed to a body portion of the envelope, said flap sealing mechanism, comprising: means defining an envelope feed path for conveying an envelope past a flap sealing roller; a belt for transporting the envelope along said feed path; a pair of rotative, spaced-apart guide rollers disposed contiguously along said feed path and supporting said belt; a flap sealing roller disposed adjacent one of said guide rollers for receiving an unsealed envelope therebetween, and for causing the flap of said envelope to press upon the body of the envelope as it moves past; means for biasing said flap sealing roller towards sealing engagement with the adjacent guide roller; and a parallelogram linkage means interconnecting said pair of spaced apart guide rollers such that said guide rollers move in unison, and are substantially equally movable with respect to said feed path, said belt supported by said guide rollers consequently being substantially uniformly movable with respect to said feed path, whereby an unsealed envelope being transported by said belt will be properly and uniformly sealed as the envelope moves past said sealing roller.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US2971416A
Cited
US3813998A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-04-14 | 1978-10-14 | 1979-04-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-04-14 | 1982-10-14 | 1983-04-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-04-14 | 1986-10-14 | 1987-04-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |