Extraction of contents from envelopes

Claim 2

In a machine for facilitating the extraction of contents from an envelope and employing suction means for engaging the opposite sides of the envelope and for displacing at least one side to spread the envelope open, thereby also imparting to each side a first predetermined curvature: means for imparting to a portion of at least one of the sides a second curvature while the envelope is being spread open, said second curvature being more pronounced and in the same direction as the first curvature imparted to that side.

Claim 3

The machine of claim 1 further comprising means for also imparting to the opposite side of the envelope a second curvature while the envelope is being spread open, said second curvature being also more pronounced and in the same direction as the first curvature imparted to the second side.

Claim 4

The machine of claim 1 wherein the first curvature imparting means comprises means for displacing the suction means with the engaged envelope side, and the second curvature imparting means comprises means for limiting the displacement of portions of the envelope side distant from the suction means to produce the second curvature.

Claim 5

The machine of claim 3 wherein the displacement limiting the means comprises means positioned in the path of the envelope side as it is displaced by the suction means.

Claim 6

The machine of claim 4 wherein the means positioned in the path is stationary.

Claim 7

The machine of claim 5 wherein there are at least two stationary limiting means positioned on opposite sides of the suction means.

Claim 8

The machine of claim 6 wherein the limiting means are spaced far enough apart to permit passage of the suction means between them.

Claim 9

The machine of claim 3 wherein the displacement limiting means is part of the suction means.

Claim 10

The machine of claim 8 wherein the second curvature imparting means includes a flexible rim for seating the suction means against the engaged envelope side, the rim being made so as to inherently assume a circumferentially non-uniform curvature, and the rim being made with sufficient flexibility to at least partially flatten when pressed against the envelope side before its displacement, and with a sufficiently strong inherent tendency toward the non-uniform curvature to at least tend to reassume the non-uniform curvature during displacement of the envelope side.