GB1456630A - Apparatus for opening and emptying envelopes - Google Patents

Abstract

1456630 Opening and emptying envelopes INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP 16 June 1975 [28 June 1974] 25556/75 Heading B8C To open and empty envelopes they are moved one at a time from a hopper to a station where their opposite end edges are cut open, then the open-ended envelope is forced into a holder narrower than itself and the holder is moved so that one open end of the envelope is vertically above the other open end, suction then being applied to one side of the envelope to buckle it open and allow its contents to fall through the lower open end, the envelope then being removed from the holder. As shown the envelopes 10 are extracted from a hopper 12 by a pivotable vacuum head 14 and placed on a reciprocating feed trolley 18 driven by a pneumatic cylinder 18a. The trolley 18 feeds the envelopes to a shearing station where blades 24 are driven down by pneumatic cylinders 24a to cut open the ends of the envelopes. The trolley 18 then feeds the envelopes into a position above one of four holders mounted on a rotatable member 40. A vacuum head mechanism 44 including a concave flexible suction head 46 and powered by pneumatic cylinder 46a then forces the envelope into the holder defined by two pairs of notched arms 51 and an intermediate support 52. The member 40 and mechanism 44 rotate through 90 degrees, their movement being synchronized with that of the reciprocating trolley 18 by a cam and follower arrangement 31, 34 and oscillating drive shaft 36, so that the envelope is vertical. Suction applied to the head 46 coupled with a slight movement of the head away from the holder then causes the envelope to buckle open as in Fig. 3E releasing the contents into a chute 54. The release of suction in this position jars the envelope to assist release of the contents. The mechanism 44 is rotated back through 90 degrees to engage the next envelope but the member 40 continues to rotate forwards in 90 degree steps past reject and eject stations. A kicker 66 causes the envelope to be discharged from the holder into a receptacle 68 if a sensor 56 in the chute 54 has not sensed the release of any contents. However if the sensor 56 senses the release of contents then the emply envelope is discharged from its holder into a receptacle 64 by another kicker 60. A pneumatic circuit, operated by camoperated valves, is described for automatically controlling operation of the apparatus (Fig. 4, not shown).