US1613243A - Envelope-closing machine - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 4 1927. f 1,613,243

R. Mol-1N ENVELOPE CLOSING MACHINE Filed March 5, 1926 /fv vena/.-

Patented Jan. 4, 1927.

til-Nitti STAT RUDOLF Moi-IN, ,or sULGnN, swrrznntnim, assienon To WILLY MLLER, or Titan GANTON ST. GALLEN, SWITZERLAND.

ENVELGPE-CLOSNG MACHINE.

Application filed March 3, 1926, Serial No.

This invention relates to a machine tor inoistening the sealing flaps ot envelopesand sticking them to the bodies ot the envelopes, and the invention consists in the provision ot a box having an opened side through which a moistening pad is rocked tor application to a sealing flap projecting downwards :troni an envelope placed on the top oit the box, a pair ot press rollers being arranged so as to receive the moistened envelope as the latter is ted 'forward by a teeding device, the latter as well as the moistening pad and the rollers being operated by means ot a shaft and a crank handle.

Fig. l ot the accompanying drawings represents a front view oi' the machine,

Fig. 2, a plan view, and

Fig. 3, an end view ot' the same.

A box 2 has a bottom to which it is connected by angle irons 8. The rear side ot' the box is open so that a moistening pad 4() can be applied, trom inside the box, to an upright plate 48 arranged at the open side of the box and spaced trom the latter. The upper edge ot the -plate 48 is bent over at right ang es and held in alignment with the top plate 4 ot' the box. The moistening pad 40 consists oit an asbestos strip which is clamped between metal strips 38 and 39 and l bent together with the latter so as to torni two limbs which coincide with the gummed edge ot the sealing flap ot an envelope to be closed. The pad is connected by an arm 3." to a rock shatt 26 which is held in brackets 27 and 28 on the box. There is a tray 41 in the box into which the pad dips tor the reception ot moistening liquid after each application to the plate 48. For rocking the shaft 26 and the pad, a lever 32 is pivoted at 36 to the right end wall ot the box 2 and connected by a link El to an arm 30 secured tothe rock shaft. The operating shaft 9 ot the machine is rotated by means ot a crank handle 34 and carries a cani l() which operates the lever 32 by engagement with an :mth friction roller 35 held in a tork 33 on the lever. A spring 29 on the shaft tends to apply the pad to the plate 48 and holds the roller 35 against the cam.

A pair ot press rollers 42 and 43 are mounted in brackets 44 at the open side oit the box. rlhe lower roller 43 is larger than the upper one and has its top surface about on a level with the top plate 4. The upper roller 42 is guided in the upper, forked ends 92,081, and in Switzerland July 22, 1953-5.

ot the bracket 44 and is lheld again-st the roller 43 by ysprings 45. A pair ot inter-V meshing bevel gears 4G one ot `vhich `is mounted on the shaft ot the roller 43 and the other on the end ot the operating shaft 9, transmits motion from the latter to the press rollers.

A feeding device is provided in the torni of two lever arms 2O which are carried by a rock shaft 2l inside the box and which are brought up through elongated slots 18 and 19 in the top wall 4 or" the box. rEhe shat't 26 is held in bearings 22 and 23, and one end projects to the right end wall ot the box where it is fitted with a collar 24 carrying a radial arm 25. A spring 49 tends to turn the shaft 21 and holds the arm 25 against a cam 11 mounted on the operating shaft 9. A crest on the cam 11, acting on the arm 25, moves the arm 2O towards the press rollers. The envelopes are placed on the top plate the opened sealing V[lap being inserted through the slit 47 termed between the plate 48 and the edge of the plate 4, whereupon the operating shaft is turned by means ot a handle 34. This causes the moistening pad to be raised from the tray 4l and to be applied to the sealing flap against the plate 4S so as to moisten the gummed edge ot the same. As the pad recedes, the arms 20 are moved forward so as to push the moistened envelope in between the press rollers 42 and 43, the sealing flap, which is closed as it passes over the edge ot the plate 48, being stuck to the body ot the envelope as the latter passes between the rollers.

The top plate 4 has at one end an extension 8 which covers the operating shaft and which is curved concentrically with the latter. An envelope guide 16 is arranged across the top plate. This guide is adjustable and is secured to the plate by screws 17 which are guided in slots 14 and l5 in the plate. Another extension 5, on which the envelopes may be stacked, is hinged to the opposite end ot the plate 4 so that it can be tolded against the end wall ot the box. Foldable brackets 7 support the extension 5 in a horizontal position tor use.

A counter i3 which records the operations, is visible in a slot in the plate extension 8, as shown in Fig. 2. This counter is operated by the sha'fit 9 through the medium ot a gearing 12.

I claim:

l im

l. A letter closing machine Comprising a box having an open side, arock shaft held by said box at the open side thereof, a moisten ing pad connected to said shaft so that it can be applied from the inside of the box to the sealing flap of an envelope placed on the top of the boX with said flap extended downwards at the open side of the box, a pair of press rollers arranged at the open side of the box, means for feeding the moistened envelope along the top of the box to the press rollers, an operating shaft, and means for transmitting motion from said operating shaft to the rock shaft, to the press rollers and to the feeding means.

2. In a machine as claimed in claim l, feeding means comprising a pair of lever arms projecting through slots in the top of the box, and a rock shaft for operating said arms.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1 in which the press rollers are of different size, the upper roller beingl the smaller, and means for holding the upper roller resiliently against the lower one.

RUDOLF MOHN.

Images