FR2573058A1 - Method and device for extracting envelopes from a pile of envelopes - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the invention, the envelopes are stored in a magazine 1 so that the terminal envelope 30, held using pressure against a retaining plate 12, has its half-opened flap 31 in a window 18 of this retaining face, and an extraction blade 60, mounted on a carriage 50 guided in translational movement in front of the retaining face, is inserted under the half-opened flap and drives the terminal envelope through an exit interstice 22 provided along the retaining face, in order to extract it. The invention is particularly applicable to the automatic processing of mail.

Description

Method and device for extracting envelopes from a stack of envelopes
The present invention relates to a method and a device for extracting envelopes from a stack of envelopes arranged in a store. Such a device makes it possible to extract the envelopes one by one from the magazine and to guide them through an envelope exit slot to constitute an automatic envelope dispenser or to route them to a processing device, for example a enveloped, in an automatic mail processing system in particular.

 In known envelopes extraction devices, the envelopes are removed by a friction drive mechanism, for example with rollers or cams, with or without an adjustable die for separating the envelopes, and with a conveyor belt. In addition to the necessary adjustment, depending on the thickness of the envelopes, of these devices, it can happen that several envelopes are taken simultaneously due to the adhesion of the envelopes to each other in their stack, this natural adhesion between envelopes in their stack being further accentuated by the pressure generally exerted on the stack of envelopes, opposite to the drive mechanism.

 Other known devices, in order to avoid the above-mentioned adjustment in particular, use an envelope suction mechanism with a vacuum pump. Such devices, despite specific soundproofing provisions, remain noisy. Furthermore, the risk of multiple removal of envelopes still exists.

 In addition to these drawbacks, the known devices do not lend themselves well to the extraction of envelopes of different formats, while retaining high rates of extraction of envelopes.

 The present invention aims to avoid these drawbacks by making it possible to carry out, in a simple and safe manner, the extraction, at very high rates, of successive envelopes in their stack, this whatever the thickness and the format. envelopes from the stack.

 The present invention therefore relates to a method of extracting envelopes from a stack of envelopes arranged with the flap folded down in a store, characterized in that it consists in adopting a method of storing the stack of envelopes in the store. so that the terminal envelope maintained against a retaining face of said magazine, which is to be extracted, has its flap ajar in this retaining face and to use the flap ajar of said terminal envelope to insert under said flap ajar extraction guiding the terminal envelope through an outlet gap provided along said retaining face.

 The present invention also relates to a device for extracting envelopes for the implementation of this method, comprising means for applying pressure of said terminal envelope against said face of the magazine, characterized in that said retaining face has a first fixed stop for the upper edge of said terminal casing and a second stop for the lower part of said terminal casing and has a window between said stops, for said half-open flap, and in that said blade extraction is supported by a carriage driven back and forth in front of said retaining face along guides transverse to said stops, between a rest position for which said blade is under the shutter ajar and substantially in said window and a working position for which said blade engaged under the flap of said envelope has driven said envelope through said outlet gap.

 According to a feature of the invention, the device comprises, facing said interstice, a mechanism for evacuating said envelopes extracted from the store. This mechanism advantageously consists of sets of rollers mounted on two parallel axes of which at least one of them is a motor. The rollers on at least one of the axes are spaced from each other while at least the terminal portion of the extraction blade forms separate individual tongues which are capable of engaging in the intervals between rollers.

 Advantageously also, in the store, the stack of envelopes is supported by the lower edges of the envelopes on a folded plate to define a support surface of crenelated shape transversely to the lower edges of the envelopes. The terminal envelope is pressed against the retaining face by a crenellated edge plate whose slots are capable of engaging, more or less in the crenelated surface of the support plate mounted adjustable according to the height of said envelopes.

 According to another particular feature, said support plate constitutes the bottom of the magazine and is approximately 150 on the horizontal while the extraction blade is approximately 150 on the vertical.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent during the production of a preferred embodiment given by way of example and illustrated in the attached drawings. In these drawings
FIG. 1 represents the device according to the invention, seen in longitudinal section, substantially median,
FIG. 2 is a section along the line II-II of the device in FIG. 1, the line I - identifying the section according to FIG. 1,
FIG. 3 is a section parallel to that of FIG. 1, passing through the line III-III of FIG. 2,
FIG. 4 is a section corresponding to that of FIG. 2, given for a smaller format of envelopes,
FIGS. 5 and 6 are two sectional views of the device, along lines VV and VI-VI of FIG. 3,
- Figures 7, 8 and 9 are schematic views given to illustrate the operation of the device.

 In Figures 1 to 6 there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of a device for extracting envelopes from a stack of envelopes, according to the invention. The device comprises on the one hand a magazine 1 receiving the stack of envelopes 3 and on the other hand a mechanism 5 for removing envelopes from the stack stored in the magazine and an associated mechanism 7 for evacuating the envelopes extracted from the store by mechanism 5.

 The device occupies a slightly inclined position on the horizontal, about fifteen degrees. it is mounted on a frame or fixed parts of a mail processing unit to which it belongs, of which we can see in particular a support wall 8.

 In magazine 1, the stack of envelopes rests by the lower edge of the envelopes on a support plate forming the bottom plate 10 and is pressed by one of the sides of the envelopes against a rear lateral flange 11, the lateral face opposite of the store being open. The stack of envelopes is disposed with the flap folded in the magazine, the rear face of the terminal envelope 30 of the stack, which is the first to be extracted, being turned towards the front face 12 of the magazine, called the retaining face. The stack of envelopes is held against this retaining face 12 by a pressure plate 13 at the rear of the magazine. This pressure plate 13 is movable along a guide rod 14 mounted along the flange 11 and is guided along the guide rod by pairs of rollers 15 which it carries.

The terminal envelope 30 thus always remains applied with a slight pressure against the retaining face 12, regardless of the size of the stack of envelopes in the magazine.

 The position at about fifteen degrees on the horizontal of the store, mentioned previously, advantageously allows good maintenance of the envelopes against each other in the store and very advantageously the displacement of the pressure plate 13 under the effect of its own weight , as the stack of envelopes decreases.

 At the front of the magazine 1, the retaining face 12 of the terminal envelope 30 is defined by a simple stop 16, fixed on the frame, for the upper edge of the terminal envelope 30, and by the end of the bottom plate 10 folded over the front of the magazine, forming a stop 17 for the lower part of the terminal envelope 30. These two stops 16 and 17 provide between them a window 18 over the width of the retaining face, through which comes half-open the flap 31 of the terminal envelope.

 In an optional embodiment of the envelope extraction device, preferably for very high envelope extraction rates, a turbine 19, shown in dotted lines, is mounted in front of the retaining face 12, to promote opening. of the terminal envelope.

 The upper face of the magazine 1 is almost entirely open.

It simply comprises a grooved support 20 of small width, held on the chassis, in which a flexible tongue 21 is maintained. The end of this tongue comes to bear very lightly against the stop 16, to define a gap 22 for outputting envelopes closed by the flexible tongue 21 which is easily erased by the guided terminal envelope during its extraction, but on the other hand, which prevents a simultaneous extraction of several envelopes.

 The mechanism 5 for removing envelopes from magazine 1 is mounted in front of the front retaining face 12 of the terminal envelope 30. It essentially comprises a carriage 50 and a blade 60 for extracting envelopes carried by the carriage.

 The carriage 50 carries two guide rings 51 which slide on a guide pin 53 fixed on the chassis and extending parallel to the retaining face 12, on one side thereof and substantially over its height. it has an upper rim 52 brought back by folds substantially in the plane of the stops 16 and 17, inside the window 18.

 The carriage is driven back and forth along this guide axis by a link 54 coupled on the one hand to one of the guide rings and on the other hand to a crank 55 actuated by a motor 56.

it is also guided in its translation in front of the retaining face 12 by a rail 57, U-shaped, fixed on the chassis and extending on the other side of the retaining face, in which is engaged a roller 58 carried by the carriage 50.

 The extraction blade 60 is formed by individual tongues 61 extending apart from one another over the width of the magazine 1. The tongues are fixed on the upper edge 52 of the carriage 50. At rest of the carriage, they extend over the length of the window 18 coming to bear on the rear face of the terminal envelope 30, under its ajar flap 31 (FIG. 1).

To ensure in particular a possible guiding of the blade 60, on its arrival at the stop 16 during the drive of the carriage 50, the edge 26 of this stop 16 has along the window two folds, turning it towards the outside the envelope store.

 The mechanism 7 for evacuating the envelopes extracted from the magazine is mounted on the chassis opposite the envelope exit gap, closed by the flexible tongue 21. It is constituted by several pairs of rollers 70, 71 mounted on two axes 72 , 73, at least one of which is a motor. These pairs of rollers extend the length of the envelope exit gap. They are spaced from each other to allow the insertion between them of the individual tongues 61 of the blade 60 for extracting envelopes when guiding the terminal envelope during its extraction from the magazine.

 This extraction of the terminal casing 30 is shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 7 to 9. It takes place during the outward stroke of the carriage, substantially over the height of the window 18, from a low position (FIG. 7) for which the carriage 50 is under the window 18 and the tongues 61 of the blade 60 in the window 18 while being in abutment against the rear face of the terminal casing 30 under its ajar flap 31, up to a high position (FIG. 9) for which the carriage is facing the window 18, under the inverted edge 26 of the stop 16 and the tabs 61 of the blade 60 engaged with the terminal casing 30 in the mechanism 7 for evacuating the casing then partially extracted. these low and high positions (FIG. 8) the blade 60 has come to be inserted progressively under the half-open flap 31 of the terminal envelope to arrive in abutment under the internal folding of the flap on the envelope and then cause the envelope 30 to through the exit gap, the flexible tongue 21 rubs against the envelope 30. During this guidance of the envelope, the flap 31 is folded down by the stop 16, thereby allowing the end of the blade 60 to be held against the internal folding of the flap on the envelope.

 The high position of the carriage (Figure 9) is advantageously chosen so that the terminal envelope partially extracted from the magazine is supported by the evacuation mechanism 7 while it is still guided by the blade 60. This support for the envelope by the evacuation mechanism, at the end of the outward stroke of the carriage avoids possible entrainment or damage of this same envelope during the return stroke of the carriage and of the blade 60.

 Advantageously also, the linear drive speed of the envelope, given by the evacuation mechanism, is chosen to be slightly higher than that transmitted by the guide blade 60.

This choice makes it possible, at the end of the forward travel of the carriage, when the envelope is taken over by the mechanism 7, to obtain a slight take-off of the end of the blade relative to the internal fold of the flap on the envelope. . The individual tabs of the blade interposed between the pairs of rollers of the mechanism 7 cannot then oppose this taking over for the evacuation of the envelope; they then emerge without problem from below the flap of the envelope.

 This envelope extraction method using the half-opened flap of the terminal envelope to extract it from the magazine makes the device independent of the different grammages of envelopes.

 The device is also, without any particular adjustment of the extraction and evacuation mechanisms, very easily adaptable to different envelope formats, as can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 4 and from FIGS. 3 and 5, in particular.

 For this purpose, the bottom plate 10 is on the one hand mounted adjustable in height, according to the extreme formats of the envelopes which can be stored in the store and on the other hand has a support surface for the envelopes adapted to allow a distribution of the pressure exerted by the pressure plate 13 over the height of the envelopes then contained in the magazine without hampering the movement of this pressure plate.

 In FIGS. 1 to 5, it can be seen that the bottom plate 10 is constituted by a plate folded suitably to define a bearing surface 23 for the envelopes, of crenelated shape transversely to the envelopes, which is doubled by a flat bottom surface 24.

 In correspondence, the pressure plate 13 has, opposite the bearing surface 230 its edge 25 cut into slots to allow possible engagement of the projecting parts of one of these parts in the hollow parts of the other (figure 4).

 In Figures 2 to 5 we also see that the bottom plate is adjustable in height. To this end, two arms 80 and 81 arranged in an X-shaped cross and articulated one on the other, in their middle 82, ensure the adjustable maintenance of this bottom plate 10 on the wall 8 of the chassis, by relative to the stop 16 fixed on the chassis. Four joints 83 to 86 connect the ends of one and the other of the arms to the lateral part of the bottom plate 10 and to the wall 8 of the chassis, being, for one of the ends of each of the arms, mobile. in a buttonhole 87, 88 of the lateral part of the bottom plate 10 and the wall 8. A threaded rod 90 is engaged in the threads of two connecting nuts 91 and 92 fixed free in rotation, one on the arm 80 and the other on arm 81.

 This threaded rod constitutes a spacer between these arms, for adjusting the spacing of the branches of the cross that they form.

It is threaded with steps to the left and steps to the right on the parts engaged in nuts 91 and 92 respectively to ensure when it is actuated in rotation, the spacing or tightening of the branches of the cross by acting simultaneously on the two arms , and by the same token, a rapid adjustment of the desired position of the bottom plate 10 driven by the joints 83 and 86. For this adjustment in position of the bottom plate 10, the latter is also slidably mounted on two lateral rods guide 93 (Figures 1, 2, 4 and 5). These two rods pass through the bearing surfaces 23 and bottom 24 of the bottom plate 10 through rings 94 which equip the passages of the rods.

They are fixed between a retaining angle 95 extending under the edge of the bottom plate 10 and fixed on the wall 8 and the folded lower edge of the lateral flange 11. During the adjustment in position of the bottom plate 10, the joints 83 and 85 move in their buttonholes while the joints 83 and 86 enter the bottom plate 10, moreover guided on the rods 93, parallel to its initial position.

 Simultaneously, the central articulation 82 of the arms and the threaded rod will undergo a shift in suitable ratios, as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3, when the bottom plate 10 is placed in a high position.

 Figures 2 and 4 show the bottom plate 10 in a low position for storing large envelopes and in a high position for storing small envelopes, respectively. They also show that the notched edge 25 of the pressure plate 13, whether or not engaged in the bottom plate 10, allows a good distribution of the pressure which it exerts over the entire height of the envelopes, whatever their format. On the other hand, this notched edge 25 engaged in the bottom plate 10 in the high position allows the free movement of the pressure plate along the bottom plate, as the stack of stored envelopes decreases.

 In FIG. 1, illustrating the magazine 1 with its bottom plate in the low position, the line in dashed lines denoted H also identifies the possible high position of the bottom plate 10. It is thus easily understood that when this plate bottom 10 is raised to receive envelopes of smaller size, the lower stop 17 on the retaining face also rises to hold the envelopes by reducing the width of the window 18 accordingly.

 This simple modification of the position of the bottom plate 10 allows the device to accept different envelope formats without having to make any adjustments at the extraction and evacuation mechanisms.

 This envelope extraction device can constitute a distributor of envelopes for public use. In this case, the mode of actuation of the trolley will preferably include an unlocking system by coins or tokens of a type known as such and will be ensured manually from a button or joystick actuated on demand, which will cause also a rod-crank type mechanism. In this application, the device will not include an envelope evacuation mechanism; the envelopes partially extracted from the store will be taken directly by the user.

 The device can also be part of a complete automatic mail processing system; in this case, it is used for feeding envelopes to a mailing station in envelopes.

 The present invention has been described with reference to the embodiment given in the drawings. it is obvious that without departing from the scope of the invention it is possible to make detailed modifications to it and / or to replace certain means by other equivalents.

 It is also understood that the arrangement of the device at 15 degrees on the horizontal is only a preferential arrangement, in particular when the device enters an automatic mail processing system. In an automatic vending machine for envelopes for public use in particular, it is however preferable to adopt a vertical arrangement so that the envelopes extracted from the store are delivered to the front face of the distributor for direct gripping of these envelopes.

Claims (16)

1 / Method for extracting envelopes from a stack of envelopes disposed with the flap folded down in a store, characterized in that it consists in adopting a method of storing the stack of envelopes (3) in the store (1 ) so that the terminal envelope (30) held against a retaining face (12) of said magazine, which is to be extracted, has its flap (31) ajar in this retaining face and to use the flap ajar of said terminal envelope for inserting under said ajar shutter an extraction blade (60) guiding the terminal envelope through an outlet gap (22) provided along said retaining face. 2 / A method of extracting envelopes according to claimr, characterized in that it consists in driving said extraction blade (60) back and forth in front of said terminal envelope (30) between a rest position, for which said blade is below said ajar flap (31) and a working position, for which said blade substantially in abutment against the internal folding of the flap on the envelope has partially driven said terminal envelope out of the store (1). 3 / A method of extracting envelopes according to claim 2, characterized in that it consists in allowing the extraction of envelopes of different format only by simply adapting the dimensions of said magazine to the dimensions of the envelopes. 4 / Device for extracting envelopes for implementing the method according to claim 1, in which pressure application means hold said terminal envelope against said retaining face of the magazine, characterized in that said retaining face (12) has a first fixed stop (16) for the upper edge of said terminal envelope and a second stop (17) for the lower part of said terminal envelope and has a window (18) between said stops, for said ajar flap 31 , and in that said extraction blade (60) is supported by a carriage (50) driven back and forth in front of said retaining face along guides (53, 57) transverse to said stops, between a position of rest for which said blade is under the ajar flap (31) and substantially in said window and a working position for which said blade engaged under the flap of said envelope has driven said envelope through said gap outlet (22). 5 / Device for extracting envelopes according to claim 4, characterized in that said outlet gap (22) is closed by a flexible tongue (21), erasable by said extraction blade (60). 6 / Device for extracting envelopes according to one of claims 4 and 5, characterized in that said first stop (16) has its edge (26), delimiting said window (18), folded out of the store to form a guide for said extraction blade. 7 / envelope extraction device according to one of claims 4, 5 and 6, characterized in that it comprises a mechanism (7) for evacuating said envelopes, mounted facing said envelope outlet gap on the end of travel path of said extraction blade driven into the working position. 8 / envelope extraction device according to claim 7, characterized in that said mechanism (7) for evacuating said envelopes comprises a set of pairs of friction rollers (70, 71) mounted spaced apart from each other on au minus the length of said outlet gap (22). 9 / envelope extraction device according to claim 8, characterized in that at least the end portion of said blade (60), opposite the carriage (50) forms individual tongues (61) extending opposite the intèrvalles between said pairs of rollers (70, 71). 10 / envelope extraction device according to one of claims 4 to 9, characterized in that it further comprises a turbine mounted opposite said window (18) of said retaining face (12) of the terminal envelope (30). 11 / envelope extraction device according to one of claims 4 to 10, characterized in that the magazine comprises a support plate (10) for the lower edges of said envelopes mounted adjustment with said second stop (17) by relative to said first stop (16). 12 / envelope extraction device according to claim 11, characterized in that said support plate 10 is folded to define a support surface (23) of notched shape transversely to the lower edges of said envelopes. 13 / envelope extraction device according to claim 12, wherein said means for applying pressure of said terminal envelope against the retaining face of the magazine are constituted by a pressure plate (13) opposite said retaining face, characterized in that said pressure plate (13) has a crenellated edge (25) capable of engaging in the crenellated bearing surface (23) defined by said support plate (10).  14 / Device for extracting envelopes according to claim 13, characterized in that said magazine is positioned having said support plate (10) inclined at about fifteen degrees on the horizontal. 15 / Device for extracting envelopes according to claim 9, characterized in that the mechanism (7) for evacuating envelopes has a linear speed of drive of said envelopes slightly greater than that given to them by said blade (60) . 16 / envelope extraction device according to claim 9, characterized in that the outward stroke of said blade (60) is chosen such that its individual tongues (61) engage in the mechanism (7) evacuations when they arrive in the working position.