US4909499A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Mail singulating apparatus
Assignee: Pitney Bowes Inc
•
Filing: 1988-12-28
•
Granted: 1990-03-20
•
Expires: 2008-12-28
Abstract
Abstract Singulating apparatus for singulating mail pieces of varying sizes and thickness comprises reversely-driven belts mounted in a four-bar linkage that pivots upwardly to allow bottom most mail pieces through while driving backward overlying mail pieces.
Inventors
- 👤 John J. O'Brien
- 👤 Russell W. Holbrooik
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 03:03
CPC Classifications
B; B65; B65H; B65H3/00; B65H3/46; B65H3/52; B65H3/5246; B65H3/5276; B65H3/5292; B65H2301/00; B65H2301/40; B65H2301/42; B65H2301/423; B65H2301/4232; B65H2301/42322; B65H2701/00; B65H2701/10; B65H2701/19; B65H2701/1916
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 16
Claim 1
Independent Claim
121 words
Singulator apparatus for separating individual articles from a stack of articles, comprising a deck, forwardly driving means for contracting the articles along one surface and moving the articles forwardly along a main path, said forwardly driving mechanism mounted to the deck to move said articles over the deck surface, a reversely driving mechanism for contacting the articles along another surface to drive backwards all but one of the articles, said reversely driving mechanism comprising a four-bar linkage arranged in the shape of a rhombus at least one belt rotatably mounted around the four-bar linkage, said four-bar linkage being mounted over said deck, and mens for causing the belt while reversely driven to maintain contact with the other surface of the articles.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
121 words
Singulator apparatus for separating individual articles from a stack of articles, comprising a deck, forwardly driving means for contracting the articles along one surface and moving the articles forwardly along a main path, said forwardly driving mechanism mounted to the deck to move said articles over the deck surface, a reversely driving mechanism for contacting the articles along another surface to drive backwards all but one of the articles, said reversely driving mechanism comprising a four-bar linkage arranged in the shape of a rhombus at least one belt rotatably mounted around the four-bar linkage, said four-bar linkage being mounted over said deck, and mens for causing the belt while reversely driven to maintain contact with the other surface of the articles.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
Singulator apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the contact maintaining means comprises means for biasing the reversely driving mechanism against the other surface of the articles.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
41 words
Singulator apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the forwardly driving mechanism comprises plural belts spaced transversely to the forward direction, and said belt on the reversely driving mechanism is positioned to lie opposite a space between the forwardly driving belts.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
35 words
Singulator apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the forwardly driving mechanism comprises three spaced belts, and the reversely driving mechanism comprises two spaced belts located over the two spaces between the forwardly driving belts.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
40 words
Singulator apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein an idler roller is mounted on the reversely driving mechanism so as to lie over the contact the middle belt to determine the clearance between the forwardly driven and reversely driven belts.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
49 words
Singulator apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the forwardly driving mechanism comprises at least one belt that wears during use, and means connected to the reversely driving mechanism for maintaining a uniform clearance between the forwardly driving and reversely driving belts even as the forwardly driving belt wears.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
89 words
Apparatus for processing mail pieces comprising means for supply multiple mixed mail pieces, a singulator for separating individual mail pieces, means for transporting mail pieces from the supplying means to the singulator, and means downstream of the singulator for taking away the singulated mail pieces, said singulator comprising a singulator nip formed between forwardly driving means and a reversely driven belt having a four-bar linkage arranged in the shape of a rhombus, and means for mounting of the reversely driven belt for movement relative to the forwardly driving means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
89 words
Apparatus for processing mail pieces comprising means for supply multiple mixed mail pieces, a singulator for separating individual mail pieces, means for transporting mail pieces from the supplying means to the singulator, and means downstream of the singulator for taking away the singulated mail pieces, said singulator comprising a singulator nip formed between forwardly driving means and a reversely driven belt having a four-bar linkage arranged in the shape of a rhombus, and means for mounting of the reversely driven belt for movement relative to the forwardly driving means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
29 words
Apparatus for processing mail pieces as claimed in claim 7 wherein the four-bar linkage comprises four pivotable points, two of which are fixed and two of which are movable.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
22 words
Apparatus for processing mail pieces as claimed in claim 8 wherein one of the fixed points is furthest from the supplying means.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
38 words
Apparatus for processing mail pieces as claimed in claim 9 wherein the rhombus is configured such that the portion of the reversely driven belt facing the incoming mail forms a receiving angle of between about 13° and 16°.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
35 words
Apparatus for processing mail pieces as claimed in claim 7 wherein the takeaway means comprises a takeaway nip whose downstream surface speed is at least 10% greater than the surface speed at the singulator nip.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
30 words
Apparatus for processing mail pieces as claimed in claim 7 wherein the transporting means comprises a belt drive whose friction coefficient is greater than that of the reversely driven belt.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
29 words
Apparatus for processing mail pieces as claimed in claim 7 further comprising means located between the supplying means and the singulator for blocking mail pieces above a certain height.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
23 words
Apparatus for processing mail pieces as claimed in claim 7 in combination with mail thickness measuring means coupled to the reversely driven belt.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1993-03-19 | 1993-09-18 | 1994-03-20 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1997-03-19 | 1997-09-18 | 1998-03-20 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2001-03-19 | 2001-09-18 | 2002-03-20 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |