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US3888069A
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Envelope opening machine
Assignee: AMER O MATIC CORP
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Filing: 1974-07-01
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Granted: 1975-06-10
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Expires: 1994-07-01
Abstract
Abstract Envelopes are conveyed one at a time from a hopper to a horizontally disposed transport wheel which conveys each envelope to a first station where the side edges of the envelope are carbonized, a second station where the top edge of the envelope is carbonized and a third station where the envelope is removed from the transport wheel. Thereafter, the thusly treated envelope is manipulated by an apparatus which peels back one panel of the envelope to expose the contents thereof. Control means are provided for ensuring proper operation of the envelope opening machine.
Inventors
- 👤 Edwin F Pierce
- 👤 Larry W Roberts
- 👤 Leland D Maddox
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 01:17
CPC Classifications
B; B43; B43M; B43M7/00; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S83/00; Y10S83/912
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
153 words
An envelope opening machine for automatically opening envelopes and exposing the contents thereof comprising a hopper, a pair of side edge destruction means, a top edge destruction means, means for transferring an envelope from the hopper into alignment with the pair of side edge destruction means, means for moving said pair of side edge destruction means into contact with the side edges of the envelope for destroying said side edges, means for transferring the envelope from the pair of side edge destruction means into alignment with said top edge destruction means, means for moving said top edge destruction means into contact with the top edge of the envelope for destroying said top edge, a discharge conveyor for discharging envelopes with their contents exposed and means between said discharge conveyor and said top edge destruction means for moving one panel of the envelope to a position wherein the contents of the envelope are exposed.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
153 words
An envelope opening machine for automatically opening envelopes and exposing the contents thereof comprising a hopper, a pair of side edge destruction means, a top edge destruction means, means for transferring an envelope from the hopper into alignment with the pair of side edge destruction means, means for moving said pair of side edge destruction means into contact with the side edges of the envelope for destroying said side edges, means for transferring the envelope from the pair of side edge destruction means into alignment with said top edge destruction means, means for moving said top edge destruction means into contact with the top edge of the envelope for destroying said top edge, a discharge conveyor for discharging envelopes with their contents exposed and means between said discharge conveyor and said top edge destruction means for moving one panel of the envelope to a position wherein the contents of the envelope are exposed.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
A machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said pair of side edge destruction means are parallel to one another and are adapted to operate simultaneously for simultaneously destroying both side edges of the envelopes.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
A machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein each of said edge destruction means includes means for carbonizing an edge of an envelope.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
A machine in accordance with claim 3 wherein said carbonizing means includes a heater having a surface adapted to contact with the edge of an envelope.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
30 words
A machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein each of said edge destruction means is slidably mounted for rectilinear movement toward and away from a different edge of an envelope.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
16 words
A machine in accordance with claim 5 including solenoid means for moving said edge destruction means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
37 words
A machine in accordance with claim 1 wherein said transferring means includes a transport wheel having a plurality of envelope receiving slots therein, and means for transferring an envelope from said hopper to one of said slots.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
A machine in accordance with claim 7 wherein said transport wheel is mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis and including a stepping motor means for rotating said transport wheel about said horizontal axis.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
A machine in accordance with claim 8 wherein each of said plurality of slots is radially exteNding and wherein said plurality of slots are equi-angularly spaced about said transport wheel.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
43 words
A machine in accordance with claim 7 wherein said means for transferring an envelope from said hopper includes a rotating feed drive means and a motive means for selectively moving said rotating feed drive means into contact with an envelope in said hopper.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
41 words
A machine in accordance with claim 10 wherein said means for transferring an envelope from said hopper further includes a means for preventing more than one envelope at a time from being transferred from said hopper to said envelope transport wheel.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
50 words
A machine in accordance with claim 9 wherein said pair of side edge destruction means are arranged on either side of said transport wheel and are aligned with a radius of the axis of said transport wheel and wherein said top edge destruction means is arranged parallel to said axis.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
119 words
An envelope opening machine for automatically opening envelopes and exposing the contents thereof comprising a hopper, a pair of side edge destruction means, a top edge destruction means, means for transferring an envelope from the hopper into alignment with the pair of side edge destruction means for destroying the envelope side edges, means for transferring the envelope from the pair of side edge destruction means into alignment with said top edge destruction means for destroying the envelope top edge, a discharge conveyor for discharging envelopes with their contents exposed, and means between said discharge conveyor and said top edge destruction means for moving one panel of the envelope to a position wherein the contents of the envelope are exposed.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
119 words
An envelope opening machine for automatically opening envelopes and exposing the contents thereof comprising a hopper, a pair of side edge destruction means, a top edge destruction means, means for transferring an envelope from the hopper into alignment with the pair of side edge destruction means for destroying the envelope side edges, means for transferring the envelope from the pair of side edge destruction means into alignment with said top edge destruction means for destroying the envelope top edge, a discharge conveyor for discharging envelopes with their contents exposed, and means between said discharge conveyor and said top edge destruction means for moving one panel of the envelope to a position wherein the contents of the envelope are exposed.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
39 words
A machine in accordance with claim 13 wherein said transferring means includes a transport wheel having a plurality of radially disposed envelope receiving slots therein, and means for transferring an envelope from said hopper to one of said slots.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
35 words
A machine in accordance with claim 14 wherein said pair of side edge destruction means are parallel to one another and are adapted to operate simultaneously for simultaneously destroying both side edges of the envelopes.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3116718A
Cited
US3822523A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-06-09 | 1978-12-09 | 1979-06-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-06-09 | 1982-12-09 | 1983-06-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-06-09 | 1986-12-09 | 1987-06-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |