US2136786A - Envelope handling machine - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 15, 1938 I E. J. DUMMER ET AL ENVELOPE HANDLING MACHINE Filed May 21, 1938 5 heets-Sheet l IN VENTORS Nov.15,1938. E. J. DUMMER ET AL 2,136,786

ENVELOPE HANDLING MACHINE Filed May 21, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 WWW IN VENT ORS.

Nov. 15, 1938. i E. J. DUMMER ET AL 2,136,786

ENVELOPE HANDLING MACHINE Filed May 21. 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 BY YW/j/ A, /d

' ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 15, 1938 UNITED STATES PA'TENT OFFICE.-

2,136,786 ENVELOPE HANDLING MACHINE Edward J. Dummer, Rochester; and"Ernest L.

Pinder, Irondequoit, N. Y., assignors to Multipost Company, Rochester, N. Y., acorporation of New York Application May 21, 1938, serial No. 209,394

8 Claims.

rected impart-toward providing a construction and mode of operation whereby envelopes to be sealed and letters to beopened: maybe fed in the same manner from the same point and along the same path of travel tobe closed in the one case and the envelopes cut open in the other; toward the provision of alternatively selected instrumentalities for accomplishing these opposite purposes;

toward the provision of a simple controlling element common to the latter devices whereby either instrumentality maybe put into work to the automaticexclusionof the other, and toward features of amoistening device for the sealing unit whereby .the supply. of water thereto is also automatically affected. To these and other ends, the invention resides in certain improvements and com- 1 binations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more.

fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an envelope and letter sealinguand opening machine constructed.

in accordance with and illustrating one .embodiment of our'invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is an enlarged rear elevation, partly broken away, .andadevoted to the region 'of the:

delivery end of the machine;'

v Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but further broken away showing certain parts in other positions;

Fig. ,5 is an enlarged section, partly broken away, taken in a plane from front to rearsubstantially on the line 5 5'of Fig. 2 showing the parts in the position of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a view similarto Fig. 5 but further 50 eral views indicate the same parts.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the machine illustrated embodies a rectangular base housing I closed at the front by a cover plate 2 fandcontaining'the driving mechanism com- 55 posed primarily of a drive shaft 3 having a hand crank 4 on the-exterior. A top plate 5 secured to the base casing in an appropriate manner serves as the bed of the machine for all purposes and, in connection with a back wall 6 rising therefrom, constitutes a guideway along which in the same manner envelopes arefed and conveyed for both of the beforementioned alternative purposes, namely, sealing and opening. The left hand end in Figs. 1 and 2 is the feed end and the right hand endthe delivery end. 10.

At the left hand end is arranged an inclined positioning support 1 on which a pack or pile of envelopes orletters are held by hand in connection with the gauging function of the back guide walls 6 in position for, feeding into the moving 5 mechanisms. It may be here stated that unlike many machines in the art, we prefer to feed the envelopes from the top down, that is, taking the uppermost rather than the lowermost progressively, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, the en- 20 velopes or letters being indicated at E. At the right hand end of the machine is a base roller 8 and a pressure roller 9 yieldingly resting thereon for the purpose of causing adhesion of the gummed flaps ofenvelopes passed through the 5 sealer, hereinafter described, as they are delivered. The base roller 8 is mounted on a shaft l0 carried in brackets ll extending from the base,

which shaft has also fixed thereto a pulley l2 connected by a belt 13 to a pulley I4 on the drive 30 shaft 3. The-jockey or pressure roller 9 is carried by a yoke 15 pivoted on a stud [6 extending horizontally forward from an upward extension ll of the base forming substantially a continuation of back guide plate 6. A spring l8 coiled 35 about the stud tends to press the yoke and roller downwardly toward roller 8.

The conveying means that carries the letters along as they are slipped to it from the top of the feed'pile embodies, in the present instance,'a 40 rubber belt [around in cross section travelling over a pulley20 on drive shaft 3 and over an idle pulley 21. Its top reach extends through a slot 22 in bed 5 and rises above the same sufficiently to make frictional carrying contact with the envelopes. It is furthermore arranged in the direction of travel at an acute angle't'o the back wall' guides 6 and I! so that the travelling envelopes will always be urged rearwardly and the folded edges of their flaps held in close parallel contact with'th'e rearward guides, other means also being provided to contribute to thisfunction though the latter are not important in particular to this" invention.

Besides thepositioning media 6 and 'l the forward end edges of the pile of envelopes to be fed are held against a gate wall 23 extending forwardly and overhanging the bed 5 just above the turn of the conveyor belt I9. Extending between the flanged outer end 2 4 of this gate and the back wall is a shaft 25 on which is pivoted a relatively wide spring finger 26 having a notch 21 therein to accommodate the belt |9 which it straddles. The finger has a rounded lower edge which, however, arrests an adjacent envelopeun.-- til the first, whose frictional contact might other- 7 wise carry it with it, has passed on. This adjacent one in turn contacts the superior friction of the feed belt and is next fed forward. The finger is urged downwardly into proper relationship with the belt for this purpose by a spring 28 coiled about the shaft 25 though limited in its action by an adjustable stop screw 29 on an extension of the finger that abuts a suitable lug on the back plate.

An envelope so in the grip of the conveyor belt passes on from this retarding finger to a presser foot 30 embodying an under curved shoe 3| that conforms in general to the transverse contour of the belt and has a substantial parallel relationship with the upper reach thereof to hold the envelope firmly against the same and the backguide wall as it is acted upon by the units hereinafter described. The presser foot is in the form of an arm pivoted at 32 on another stud 33 also extending forwardly from the back wall. The stud similarly carries a spring 34 coiled about itto exert yielding downward pressure on the shoe- Whatever envelopes to be sealed are fed to the'machine, they have their faces down and their flap sides up. .Means are provided for raising the flap from the'body of the envelope and passing it over a moistening device for the gum on its underside before it travels to the sealing rolls described. The flap raising element consists of a rearwardly projecting plate 35 having a flat underside in spaced parallelism with the bed 5. Its left hand edgefdisposed toward the feedng point has an upward turn. at 36 in the manner of a share that tapers downwardly and to the right to merge with a flat knife-like inclined edge 31 next adjacent to the guide. As an envelope approaches, the edge 31 catches the narrow, end of the flap, which latter, as its wider portion passes, rides the share 36 and is raised to a substantial degree, the body passing under the plate 36 and the flap over it.

The plate 36 is carried rigidly by a flanged arm 38 rising from its forward edge and turning freely on a stud shaft 39projecting forwardly from the back H. The arm is confined between a spacing sleeve 42 and a coil spring 43 both encircling the stud shaft 39and the spring bearing upon the arm to force plate 35 down to the operative position of Figs. 4 and 6 and the dotted line position of Fig. 7.

It is obvious that after such plate 35 is sufficiently raised to the full line position of Fig. '7

article conveyed thereby. To effect such retraction, the end of shaft 39 is provided with an L- shaped dog 44 fixed to a squared portion (not shown) thereon. The inwardly and rearwardly turned end of such dog against which the other end of spring 43 reacts engages in an opening 45 (Figs. 2 and 7) in arm 38. Shaft 39 extends :through back plate extension "in which it has a bearing and at its projecting rear end there is fixed thereto a lever arm 46 having a handle portion 41 extending upwardly above adjoining parts for easy access to the operator. Consequently, when this lever and arm are in the positions of Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5, namely, rocked to the left, the flap plate 35 is raised to inoperative position assisted by spring 43. When moved oppositely to the right (or to the left from the rear view of Fig. 4) it carries plate 35 downwardly into the operative position of Fig. 6 or as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7. It is also locked in this position as will hereinafter appear.

, The moistening device is also part of the structure of arm 38 and plate 35. It embodies a water chest 48 carried on the free end thereof provided with a nipple 49 at the front leading toward a cylindrical raised portion 50 on the top of the chest that has a fine or narrow longitudinal slot 5| therein. A flexible tube 52 has one end connected to the nipple and, leading through an opening 53 in the back plates H, has its other end attached to a nipple 54 on the well 55 of an air-sealed reservoir 56. This latter is in the present form of an inverted detachable bottle having its neck and mouth resting on a suitable seat within the well (not shown). Thus, suflicient water under very low pressure flows through the slot 5| to moisten the under gummed side of a flap passing overit andwhich flap has been raised by the elements 36 and 41 on plate 35. The moistener is obviously raised into inopera: tive position along with the flap raiser.

As the flap raiser and moistener are so lifted to inoperative position, asin Fig. 3 particularly, it is desirable to cut off the water supply from reservoir 56 entirely. This is accomplished in the following manner:

At the lower end of the lever 46 is a flange I 51 between which and an abutment pin 58 on the back wall extension I! the flexible tube 52 extends. When it is desired to cut out the moistening devices and its connected parts through throwing the handle 41 to the left as in Fig. 1 and to the right as in Figs. 3 and 4, this flange 51 pinches the water supply tube 52 against the pin 58 and cuts off thesupply of water.

With the foregoing adjustments, the machine is operative to feed envelopes, raise their flaps, moisten. their flaps-and close their flaps in ad- 'hesive relationship through rollers 8 and 9. Also,

manipulation of hand lever 41 in one direction sealing in general throws these moistening and devices in or out.

Still considering the same path of travel of the envelope, the beforementioned means are provided for shearing a folded edge of a closed envelope or piece of mail matter. This means consists of anupper rotary driven shearing cutter 59 and a lower shearing driving rotary cutter 60. shaft 3.

6| having bearings 40 in a forwardly extending housingbracket 4| proceeding in that direction from back plate'll. Coiled about this shaft 6| within the bracket is a compression spring 62 which by acting against a pin 63 on the shaft has a tendency to hold rotary knife blade 59 against rotary knife blade 60 in shearing contact.

It is here stated that these shearing knives for opening a sealed envelope run in cooperation with each other at their cutting edges, the knife 60 being positivelydriven and the knife" 59 driven therefrom by surface contact as shown j in Fig. 5. To guide the envelopes or letters to be opened accurately within these knives, we

desired to seal envelopes rather than open them,

it becomes necessary to render the shearing knives 59 and 60 inoperative. This is accomplished in the following manner:

When handle 41 and hence lever is thrown to the left, as in Fig. 2, and to the right in the back view of Fig. 3, the retraction ofthe moisten ing devices and the flap raising devices is completed. The shearing mechanism 59--60 is hence operative to open the envelopes fed along the established path of travel on bed againstthe back guides. When it is desired to throw out this shearing mechanism-59-60 during the operation of the moistening and sealing instrumentalities, rotary knife 59 is disconnected from its driving knife 60 by sliding it axially against the tension of spring 60, as in Fig. 5, to the position of Fig. 6, spring 62 being thereby compressed. This is accomplished by throwing le- .ver 4'! to the right in Fig. 2 and to the left as in Fig. 4 to the position also shown in Fig. 6. On such actuation a link 65 pivoted to lever 46 at 66 and having a raised forwardly extending flange 61 rides beneath a dog 68 pivoted at 69 on a fixed part of the back frame. The lower arm of this dog thereby engages the forward face of cutter 59 and throws it rearwardly in spaced relationship to cutter 90 with which it had previously cooperated in a vertical plane. Such movement, of course, entails compression of spring 62. This effects the aforesaid movement of dog 68 and throws knife 59 to inoperative position. Knife 60 will not alone cut the paper.

In other words, in one selective position of handle 41 the whole of the moistening devices on plate are raised above the path of travel of the envelopes and above cooperation with belt I9 including the cut-off of the water supply at 5|58 through tube 52 so that no moistening effect is produced. At the same time, knives 59 and 60 come together in operative relationship for shearing. 0n the reversal of hand lever 4| (as in Figs. 4 and 6) the two knives 59 and 60 are separated and themselves become inoperative while the flap raising and moistening means go into Work. It is plain, therefore, that with the manipulation of one controlling element 46-41 and with the same certain feed of the envelopes in the one path, they may be sealed ,or opened at will.

The free end of link 65 is slotted and guided on a fixed headed guide pin H projecting from the rear of back plate l1. When the shearing knives are together and in work, dog 68 dwells on a low portion 12 of this link adjacent to a cam 13 thereon which tends to resist movement of the controlling lever and link in a direction that would release and lower the flap raising and moistening elements. On the actuation of the control lever from this position, however, the dog rises on cam 13 and thereafter dwells on the raised portion 61 of the link while performing its function of separating the shearing knives 69-10. The element 14 is a flange on the controlling lever that is turned forwardly to engage the top of back plate I! and limit movement of the lever in the direction that throws out the knives and puts the sealing mechanism 1 into work.

A machine constructed in accordance with our invention may be made relatively simple and inexpensive in design; it serves the user in the dual capacities that usually require the acquisition of two machines and in both uses is controlled by theposition of a single lever; the driving, conveying and guiding means is identical, and the open or closed envelopes, as the case may be, are always fed in the same manner in the same path from the same point.

We claim as our invention:

1. In an envelope handling machine, the combination with a runway adapted to conductenvelopes in a certain definite path of travel, of

a flap sealing device operatively arranged in such path of travel but adapted to be raised to an inoperative position permitting the envelopes to pass between it and the runway, a shearing means for opening an envelope at its folded edgev also operatively arranged in said same path of travel, and means connected with both the sealing device and the shearing means for rendering the latter inoperative when the sealing device is in its lowered operative position.

2. In an envelope handling machine, the combination with a runway adapted to conduct envelopes in a certain definite path of travel, of a flap sealing device operatively arranged in such path of travel, a shearing means for opening an envelope at its folded edge also operatively arranged in said same path of travel, and a common control element for said device and said means adapted to automatically throw one of them out of work when the other is thrown into work.

3. In an envelope handling machine, the combination with a runway adapted to conduct envelopes in a certain definite path of travel, of a vertically movable flap raising and moistening device operatively arranged in such path of travel but adapted to be raised to an inoperative position permitting the envelopes to pass between it and the runway, a fixed water reservoir having a conduit leading therefrom to said device, and a common means for throwing the latter out of work and closing the conduit.

4. In an envelope handling machine, the combination with a runway adapted to conduct envelopes in a certain definite path of travel, of a flap raising and moistening device operatively arranged in such path of travel, a Water reservoir, a flexible pipe leading therefrom to said device, and a control lever movable in one direction to throw the latter into work and in an other direction to throw it out of work and to concomitantly pinch the tube and shut off the supply from the reservoir.

5. In an envelope handling machine, the combination with a runway adapted to conduct envelopes in a certain definite path of travel, of a rock shaft, a flap sealing device mounted thereon and operatively arranged in such path 'of travel, a shearing means for opening an envelope at its folded edge also operatively arranged in said same path of travel, and a controlling means on the rock shaft adapted to move the sealing device to an inoperative position and connected to the shearing means to maintain the latter inoperative while the sealing means'is operative.

6. In an envelope handling machine, the combination with a runway adapted to conduct envelopes in a, certain definite path of travel, of

ranged in said same path of travel, and a con-- trolling means on the rock shaft connected to the shearing means to move it to an operative position and to concomitantly maintain the sealing means operative.

7; In an envelope handling machine, the combination with a runway adapted to conduct envelopes in a certain definite path of travel, of a flap sealing device operatively arranged in such path of travel, a shearing means for opening an envelope at its folded edge also operatively arranged in said same path of travel and embodying a. pair of rotary blades one of which is movable out of cutting relationship with the other, and a common control element connected to hold the sealing device in an inoperative position while amazed:

- the shearing blades are in cooperationand to hold the blades out of cooperation while the sealing device is in operation 8. In an envelope handling machine, the com bination with a runway adapted to conduct envelopes in a'certain definite path of travel, of

a rock shaft, a flap sealing device mounted thereon-and operatively arranged in such path of travel, a shearing means for opening an envelope at its foldededge also operatively arranged in said same path oftravel and embodying a pair of rotary blades one of which is movable out of cutting relationship with the other, a controlling lever on the rock shaft adapt-

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