CA1041852A - High speed edge carbonizing envelope opening machine - Google Patents
High speed edge carbonizing envelope opening machineInfo
- Publication number
- CA1041852A CA1041852A CA226,524A CA226524A CA1041852A CA 1041852 A CA1041852 A CA 1041852A CA 226524 A CA226524 A CA 226524A CA 1041852 A CA1041852 A CA 1041852A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- envelope
- machine
- accordance
- hopper
- edge
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B43—WRITING OR DRAWING IMPLEMENTS; BUREAU ACCESSORIES
- B43M—BUREAU ACCESSORIES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B43M7/00—Devices for opening envelopes
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10S83/00—Cutting
- Y10S83/912—Envelope openers
Abstract
ENVELOPE OPENING MACHINE
Abstract of the Disclosure Envelopes are conveyed one at a time from a hopper to a horizontally disposed transport wheel which conveys each envelope to a first station where the side edges of the envelope are carbonized, a second station where the top edge of the envelope is carbonized and a third station where the envelope is removed from the transport wheel. Thereafter, the thusly treated envelope is manipulated by an apparatus which peels back one panel of the envelope to expose the contents thereof. Control means are provided for ensuring proper operation of the envelope opening machine.
Abstract of the Disclosure Envelopes are conveyed one at a time from a hopper to a horizontally disposed transport wheel which conveys each envelope to a first station where the side edges of the envelope are carbonized, a second station where the top edge of the envelope is carbonized and a third station where the envelope is removed from the transport wheel. Thereafter, the thusly treated envelope is manipulated by an apparatus which peels back one panel of the envelope to expose the contents thereof. Control means are provided for ensuring proper operation of the envelope opening machine.
Description
~o~ s;~
DISCLOSURE
1 The present invention is directed to an envelope open-ing machine and more particularly to an envelope opening machine which is capable of automatically opening up to 3600 pieces of mail per hour. The envelope opening machine of the present invention constitutes a mechanized mailroom and is particularly useful for users who receive large volumes of mail each day. -The envelope opening machine of the present invention will substantially lower labor costs and overhead. Not only are three sides of the envelope opened, but the contents of the envelope are thereafter exposed and mechanically conveyed to a location wherein the contents may be removed and separated. The envelope opening machine of the present invention is also easy -to operate and does not require any operating personnel other than one operator to feed the envelopes into the machine and ~-the operators associated with the discharge assembly line for removing the contents of the envelopes from the envelopes. - -In the envelope opening machine of the present inven- -tion, a stack of envelopes are stored in a hopper and are auto-matically removed one at a time from the hopper. The envelopes ~- -are conveyed to a horizontally disposed transport wheel which transports each envelope to a first station where the side edges of the envelope are burned, a second station where the top edge of the envelope is burned and to a third station where the envelope is removed from the transport wheel. Thereafter, the ~ -thusly treated envelope is automatically moved to an envelope opening section wherein a means forming a part of the machine automatically manipulates one of the envelope panels to expose the contents thereof.
~ or the purpose of illustrating the present invention, there is ~hown in the drawings a form which i8 presently pre-erred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not #1176 P/2 CA -1- ~ .
.
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1 ~ limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities sho~n.
Figure 1 is a side sectional view of a letter opening machine in accordance with the present invention.
Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 in Figure 1, the hopper, located at the top of Figure 1, being removed, however, for clarity.
Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 in Figure 3.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the envelope guide -means shown in section in Figure 3.
Figure 7 is a sectional view taken along the line 7-7 ~-in Figure 1.
Figure 8 is a sectional view taken along the line 8-8 in Figure 7.
Figure 9 is a sectional view taken along the line 9-9 in Figure 1.
Figure 10 is an exploded sectional view of the envelope opening mechanism. ~ -Figure 11 is a perspective view of a modified form of an envelope hopper useful with the present invention. -Figure 12 is an exploded partial perspective view of one end of an envelope edge carbonizing means.
Figures 13 - 16 inclusive are perspective views of an envelope at various stages in its processing by the present letter opening machine;
3o Figure 13 showing the envelope intact as it would appear before processing;
Figure 14 5howing the envelope of Figure 13 with two ~de edge~ thereof carbonized by the apparatus of Figure 7;
#1176 P/2 CA - 2 tt~; , .. . . . . ..
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1 Figure 1~ showing the envelope of Figures 13 and 14 with three side edges thereof carbonized by the apparatus of Figure 9, and Figure 16 showing the envelope of Figures 13, 14, and 15 with one panel peeled back by the apparatus of Figure 10 to expose its contents.
Figure 17 is a block diagram of a control circuit for controlling the operation of the envelope opening machine of the present invention, and Figure 18 is a chart showing the timing sequence for the control circuit of Figure 17.
Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein like -numerals indicate like elements, there is shown in Figure 1 a side sectional view o~ a letter opening machine in accordance wlth the present invention and designated generally as 10. The -machine 10 includes a support frame designated generally as 12 which supports the various components of the machine. The machine can be considered to be generally composed of three operating sections: an envelope feed section designated gener-ally as 100, an envelope transport and carbonizing section designated generally as 200 and an envelope opening section designated generally as 400. Driving power for most of the -moving elements of the machine is provided by a continuously operating motor 14 mounted on plate 16 which is secured in a -known manner to frame 12. Power is transmitted to the various elements through a series of chains 18-22, sprockets 24-34, and pulleys which will be more fully described below.
A ~tack of envelopes 112 each being similar to the enrelope 113 shown in Figure 13 are manually placed in the ho~per 102 locate~ in the envelope feed section 100. The '' hopper 102 ha~ a ~ide wall 104, a downwardly inclined bottom wall 106 and a~ end wall 108. End wall 108 has a plurality of ~ert~cal ~lot ~haped openlng~ 110 therein which are adapted to #1176 P/2 CA _ 3 _ 1 periodically receive feed belts 116 and 116'. An opening 111 in bottom wall 106 is large enough to allow one of the envelopes in stack 112 to pass therethrough A weight in the form of a roller 114 which is adapted to freely roll on the downwardly inclined bottom wall 106 helps maintain the envelopes 112 in their upright position and further helps force the envelopes against the end wall 108.
The remaining parts of the envelope feed section are comprised essentially of a plurality of feed belts, drive belts and drive wheels which, in the manner to be more fully described below, convey the envelopes 112 from the hopper 102 to the envelope transport and carbonizing section 200. As shown more clearly in Figures 3 and 4, these belts and wheels are arranged in symmetrical pairs about the vertical center of the envelope feed section 100. Accordingly, the following description will be directed primarily towards the envelope feed elements shown in the left half of Figures 3 and 4, it being understood, how-ever, that the corresponding elements shown in the right-hand side of each Figure, which corresponding elements are corres-pondingly identified by primed numerals, are constructed and function in the same manner as those being described As most clearly shown in Figure 1, the envelopes 112 are transferred from the hopper 102 by continuously driven end-less feed belt 116. Feed belt 116 is mounted about idler ~:
pulleys 118, 120, 122 and 124 and is moved in the direction shown by the arrows by drive pulley 126. A pair of idler pulleys 128 and 130, rotatably mounted on block 132 engage the feed belt 116 and with the aid of solenoid 134 are adapted to selectively move : . -the feed belt 116 through opening 110 into frictional contact with the first envelope in the stack o envelopes 112 positioned within the hopper 102 At the proper time, which is controlled by the control #1176 P/2 CA _4_ ,. : :
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1 circuit 500 to be more fully described below, solenoid 134, mounted on support plate 136, is energized thereby moving rollers 128 and 130 outwardly or to the left as shown in Figure 1. This movement of rollers 128 and 130 causes feed belt 116 to friction-ally engage the first envelope in the stack of envelopes 112 and move it downwardly through the opening 111 at the bottom of the hopper 102. As the feed belt 116 continues to move the envelope 112 downwardly, the envelope 112 is forced through the gap between idler roller 138 and kick back roller 140. Located immediately below idler roller 138 and kick back roller 140 are a pair of feed rollers 142 and 144 each of which has a sponge rubber surface thereon. As the feed belt 116 moves the envelope 112 between idler roller 138 and kick back roller 140 the leading edge of the envelope 112 enters the nip between feed rollers 142 and 144 and is driven by these feed rollers downwardly into one -of the slots 208 in wheel 202 of the envelope transport and -carbonizing section 200. As best seen in Figure 1, the feed belt -116 is arranged to be substantially parallel to the path of move-ment of the envelope as it approaches the wheel 202 thereby act- ~-ing as a guide means for insuring that the envelope is properly aligned with the slot 208. A side guide 146 is also provided $.~ ' along the path of travel of the envelope in order to prevent the ~
envelope from moving sideways. As best seen in Figure 6, the - ~ -guide 146 includes a vertical portion and a flared top portion 148 which helps guide the envelope into the vertical portion. ~ -The guide 146 is securely fixed to a slide portion 150 which is slidable on support bar 152. By this arrangement, the guide 146 can be moved inwardly or outwardly to adjust for various size envelopes. Once the guide 146 is moved to its proper posi-tion, it is securely held there by set screw 154.
Referring again to Figure 1 it can be seen that the gap between idler roller 138 and kick back roller 14~ is #1176 P/2 CA _5_ ,, ", ,,"~,~" ~,", j",, ,,,"",,,,,,,, . ,,,.,, ,. ,.. .. ,, . ,,~.
5~ -1 adjusted to be approximately equal to the thickness of one envelope. Accordingly, if more than one envelope should descend into the gap, the forwardmost envelope would be kicked back up-wardly by the reversely rotating kick back roller 140. Further-more, as will be more clearly shown below, kick back roller 140 rotates at a faster rate than feed belt 116 and feed rollers 142 and 144 to ensure that the forward envelope will be kicked back if more than one envelope should enter the gap. Under normal conditions, however, the envelope would not contact kick back roller 140 since the gap between idler roller 138 and kick back roller 140 is substantially equal to the thickness of the envelope. Accordingly, one envelope would pass freely through the gap.
In order to accommodate envelopes of various thick- -nesses, the gap between idler roller 138 and kick back roller 140 is adjustable. To this end, idler roller 138 is rotatably mounted on a horizontally disposed shaft at one end of a lever 156. Lever 156 is pivotally mounted on block 158 (see Figure 4) by pivot pin 160. The other end of lever 156 is connected to a spring 162 which in turn is connected to a screw 164 carried by bracket 166 mounted on support plate 136. Accordingly, the force of spring 162 causes idler roller 138 to move toward kick back roller 140. A screw 168 threaded through support plate 136 - ~ -acts as an adjustable stop means for the lever 156. According-ly, the gap between idler roller 138 and kick back roller 140 is -~
easily adjusted by turning screw 168.
Figures 3 and 4 show the manner in which the elements of the envelope feed section 100, described above, are mounted.
In each of these figures, the envelope hopper 102 has been removed or clarity. As can be seen from these figures, sub- -stantially all of the elements of the envelope feed section 100 ~- -are located between and supported by a pair o~ upwardly extend-~1176 P/2 CA - 6-, , , , , ,, ,, , ;, , -,,:,-- ,,;
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-z 1 ing side walls 168 and 168'. As shown in Figure 1, these up-wardly extending side walls 168 and 168' are vertical while the various components of the feed section 100 are supported by these walls 168 and 168' so as to be inclined slightly rearwardly.
These side walls 168 and 168' are rigidly secured to the main frame 12 in a manner well known in the art.
Adjacent the upper ends of the side walls and extending horizontally between the two walls 168, 168' is the support plate 136. The support plate 136 is secured to the side walls 168 and 168' by bolts 172 and 172'. As stated above, solenoid 134 i~ secured to the support plate 136 adjacent the center thereof. In addition, block 158 which pivotally supports lever -156 is secured to the support plate 136 by bolts 174. Each - -idler pulley for feed belt 116 is rotatably supported at the upper end of support plate 136 by bracket 176 and appropriate bearings (not shown) carried by bracket 176. ;
Extending between side walls 168 and 168' are a plurality of rotatably mounted horizontally disposed shafts supported on the side walls by suitable bearings. As best seen - -in Figure 4, shaft 178, upon which are mounted drive pulleys 126 and 126' extends through side wall 168' and terminates in a suit-able sprocket (not shown). Chain 22 passes over said sprocket ~ -to provide drive power to shaft 178 and to the entire envelope feed section 100. Also connected to shaft 178 and immediately - -adjacent the sprocket and chain 22 is a pulley 180.
A drive belt 182 transfers the rotary motion of shaft - -178 from pulley 180 to pulley 183 secured to the end of shaft -184 which supports feed rollers 142 and 142'. Shaft 184 also extends through side wall 168 and terminates in a gear 185.
Gear 185 meshes wfth gear 186 which is secured to the end of ~haft 187 upon which is carried feed rollers 144 and 144'. -~
Since 8ears 185 and 186 are the same size and have the same #1176 P/2 CA - 7-" , " . :, . . .
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1 number of teeth, feed rollers 142 and 142' rotate at the same speed as feed rollers 144 and 144'. However, as a result of the gears 185 and 186, these rollers are caused to rotate in opposite directions as shown by the arrows in Figure 1. Also connected to shaft 187 is a second and smaller gear 188, see Figure 5.
Gear 188 meshes with an even smaller gear 189 secured to the end of shaft 190 which carries kick back rollers 140 and 140'. As a result of the position and relative sizes of these gears, kick back rollers 140 and 140' are caused to rotate at a greater speed than rollers 144 and 144' and in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the rollers 144, 144' as shown in Figure 1.
In addition to the driven shafts described above, shafts are also provided for idler pulleys 120 and 122 such as shaft 192 shown in Figure 4. It will be understood that a similar shaft is provided for idler pulley 122. It should also be understood that, while not specifically described, each of .~:~
the rotating shafts described above are supported by suitable bearings which are well known in the art.
It can also be seen in Figure 3 that support bar 152 . -for envelope guide means 146 and 146' is secured to side walls 168 and 168' by screws 194 and 194'. An envelope 113A is shown in phantom in Figure 3 between the guides 146 and 146'. In this position, the envelope has passed through the envelope feed section 100 and is located in one of the slots 208 of the wheel 202 in the envelope transport and carbonizing section 200. . --The envelope transport and carbonizing section 200 of the letter opening machine 10 is comprised essentially of a `-' transport wheel 202, a plurality of carbonizing means for de~troying the edges of the envelopes and a take-off belt for . -removing thé enveIope~ fr~m the transport wheel 202. Similar to the envelope feed section 100, the envelope transport and #1176 P/2 CA - 8-,, ,, , , , , ,, , , ,~
' ' ' , ' " , ' 1 carbonizing section 200 is composed of a plurality of identical elements and accordingly the following description will be directed primarily towards one set of these elements. It being understood that the remaining elements, not specifically des-cribed, are substantially the same as those being described and function in exactly the same manner.
The envelope transport wheel 202 is composed of a plurality of identical wheels. Each wheel includes a hub portion 204, a plurality of spokes 206 equiangularly spaced about the hub 204 and a radially extending slot 208 in each of the spokes 206.
The open end of each slot 208 is tapered outwardly as shown at 210. This facilitates the entry and exit of the envelopes to and from the slot 208 in wheel 202. Transport wheel 202 is rotatably mounted by horizontally disposed shaft 213 having one end secured to side frame portion 212 through a suitable bearing ~
such as shown at 214. A stepping motor 218, controlled by the -control circuit 500, supports the other end of shaft 213 and selectively moves the transport wheel 202 intermittently through the several operating stations A-D and the several non-operative -----stations E-J in the direction shown by the arrow in Figure 1. ~ - -At operating position A, an envelope 113 is fed into the slot 208 -in the spokes 206. The transport wheel 202 is then moved to a position B where both side edges of the envelope 113 are simul-taneously destroyed by carbonizing means 220 and 220'. An - --envelope 113B with its side edges destroyed by carbonizing means 220 and 220' i8 shown in Figure 14. -As best shown in Figures 7 and 8, the side edge carbonizing means 220 ànd 220' are adapted to move inwardly toward the envelope 113B to destroy the side edges thereof and outwardly away from the envelope 113B to allow the envelope 113B
to proceed to the next station. Each side edge carbonizing means such as means 220 is secured to a plate 222 through a heat #1176 P/2 CA _g_ i~i8~Z
1 insulating means 224 and bolts 226. Plate 222 is fixedly connected to a pair of slide bearings 228 and 230 which are adapted to slide linearly on slide rods 232 and 234, respective-ly. Slide rods 232 and 234 are securely fastened to a support bracket 236 by screws 238 and 240. Shock absorbing stopper means 242, 244, 246 and 248 are arranged at each end of each of the slide rods 232 and 234 in order to limit the sliding movement of the slide bearings 228 and 230. Connected between slide bearings 228 and 230 is a joining rod 250 having a reduced diameter por-tion 252 intermediate the ends thereof. The forked end 254 of a lever 256 slidably engages the reduced diameter portion 252 of joining rod 250.
At a point 258, remote from the forked end 254, lever 256 is pivotably secured to a support bracket 260. A pair of solenoids 262 and 264 are also mounted on support brackets 260 and are adapted to engage lever 256 on opposite sides of pivot point 258. Accordingly, when solenoid 262 is energized, lever 256 causes side edge carbonizing means 220 to slide outwardly away from envelope 113B and when solenoid 264 is energized, lever 256 causes side edge carbonizing means 220 to move inwardly toward envelope 113B.
As best shown in Figures 8 and 12, each edge carboniz- :
ing means 220 includes a housing composed of side wall portions .
266 and 268 having inwardly flanged end portions such as 270 and 272. Contained within the housing is an electric heating ele- -ment 274 enclosed within a metallic holder 276. The metallic ~ :
holder 276 has a V-groove 278 which is adapted to engage the side edge of envelope 113B for carbonizing or destroying the edge of the envelope. A thermistor 279 is mounted within the metallic holder 276 adjacent the V-groove 278. Thermistor 279 i8 connected to a temperature control circuit (not shown) for maintaining the eIectric heating element 274 and consequently .
#11.76 P/2 CA -10-" '' ''' " ""'" ''"','',''','",' .,'' ':, , ", -1 the metallic holder 276 at a constant desired temperature.
This temperature should be approximately 750-800 F. for best results. Heat insulators 280, 282 and 284 are positioned around the sides and rear of the metallic holder 276 and a mounting block 286 is positioned on the side of heat insulator 284 remote from the metallic holder 276.
The side wall portions 266 and 268 of the housing are secured together by means of a bolt 288 which passes through appropriate holes in the side wall portions and the mounting block 286 and a nut 290. In addition, a C-shaped retaining bar --292 having inwardly flanged edge portions 294 which are adapted to slide in elongated grooves 296 and 298 in side wall portions 266 and 268, respectively, further secures the side wall portions of the housing together. This is accomplished by first tighten-ing nut 290 on bolt 288 so that the side wall portions 266 and 268 taper slightly outwardly towards the bottom edges and then -forcing the C-shaped retaining bar 292 downwardly in grooves 296 and 298. In this way, the grooves 296 and 298 act as cammed sur- -faces for the C-shaped retaining bar 292. A wiring block 300 is ~-then positioned over the end of the edge carbonizing means 220.
The wiring block 300 includes a groove 302 adapted to receive wires (not shown) which are connected to an appropriate source of electrical current for the heating element 274. Also con-tained within groove 302 are wiring terminals 304 and 306 to which the wires not shown are to be connected. In addition, wires 308 and 310 from the electrical heating element 274 are ' -electrically connected to the wiring terminals 304 and 306. :
The wirlng block 300 is securely fastened to the remaining parts of the edge carbonizing means 220 by screws 312 and 31~ which pa88 through appropriate holes in cover member 316, wiring block 300 and mounting block 286.
After the side edges of the envelope are destroyed by #1176 P/2 CA -11--~v~ s~
1 side edge carbonizing means 220 and 220', the transport wheel 202 is indexed from station B to station C where the top edge of the envelope is destroyed by top edge carbonizing means 318.
See Figure 9. The top edge carbonizing means 318 is constructed in substantially the same manner as the side edge carbonizing means 220 and 220' and accordingly a detailed description thereof will not be given, it being understood that the description above of the side edge carbonizing means 220 and 220' applies also to the top edge carbonizing means 318. Furthermore, for clarity, the corresponding elements of the top edge carbonizing means 318 and side edge carbonizing means 220 have been design-ated by like reference numerals.
Top edge carbonizing means 318 is securely mounted to a horizontally disposed mounting bar 320 by heat insulators 322, 324 and bolts 326 and 328. Each end of mounting bar 320 is mounted for linear slidable movement so that the entire top edge carbonizing means 318 can be moved toward and away from the top edge of the envelope located at station C. Since the driving means located at each end of mounting bar 320 are substantially ~ -identical to each other, only one will be described in detail; :
it being understood that the remaining means is constructed and - - -performs in substantially the same manner as the one being described. --Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 9, it can be seen that the end of mounting bar 320 is fixedly secured to a slide bear- :
ing 330 which is adapted to slide on slide rod 332. Slide rod .
332 is securely fastened to a support bracket 334 which is integral with side frame portions 212. Shock absorbing stopper means 336 and 338 are arranged at each end of slide rod 332 in order to limit the sliding movement of the sliding bearing 330.
An outwardly extending pln 340 iR integrally connected to slide bearing 330 and is received in the forked end 342 of a lever ~1176 P/2 CA -12- --' , ,',,, , ; ', .';"',.,, -."., ,. ,, , , .,, .. ,, . , ,: , . . .
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1 344. Lever 344 is pivotally mounted to upright support bracket 334 by pivot pin 346. A counter weight 348 is suspended from the other end of lever 344. -As best seen in Figure 1, a solenoid 350 is secured to upright support bracket 334 by an L-bracket 352 and engages the upper side of lever 344 at a point between forked end 342 and pivot pin 346. A second solenoid 354 is similarly mounted by an L-bracket 356 to side frame portion 212. Solenoid 354 also engages lever 344 at a point intermediate the forked end 342 and pivot pin 346 but on the underside of lever 344. It can be seen that by this arrangement, when solenoid 350 is energized, it causes lever 344 to move clockwise (as viewed in Figure 1) ~ -against the weight of counter weight 348. This clockwise move-ment of lever 344 moves pin 340 and slide bearing 330 to the right and downwardly so that top edge carbonizing means 318 engages and destroys the top edge of the envelope located at station C. Similarly, it can bP seen that when solenoid 350 is :
de-energized and solenoid 356 is energized, lever 344 is caused to rotate counterclockwise (as view in Figure 1) and top edge -~-carbonizing means 318 is thereby moved away from the top edge of -the envelope. .
After the top edge of the envelope is destroyed by top edge carbonizing means 318 (an envelope 113C having its top edge ~ --80 destroyed is shown in Figure 15) the transport wheel 202 is ~ .
again indexed thereby transporting the envelope from station C
to station D where the envelope is removed from the transport wheel 202. This removal is accomplished by a plurality of end-less timing conveyor belts 402, 402' and 402''. Each timing belt is supported by pulleys 404 and 406 and isposit:ivel-y driven ~ -by a drivepulley 408. As with many of the other elements of the envelope opening machine, all of the timing conveyor beIts are cons~ructed and function in the same manner and accordingly #1176 P/2 CA -13-~o~
1 while only one will be described in detail, it being understood that this description applies equally to the remaining timing conveyor belts. This also applies to many of the remaining elements in the envelope opening section. While only one will be described in detail, it will be understood that each of the plurality of similar elements is constructed and functions in the same manner as the one being described.
Referring to Figure 1, it can be seen that when the envelope in the transport wheel 202 is located at station D, it is substantially horizontal and rests on the horizontally dis-posed run of conveyor timing belt 402. The conveyor timing belts frictionally engage the bottom side of the envelope and convey the same out of the slot 208 in transport wheel 202 toward the left in ~igure 1. A plurality of endless drive belts such as belt 410 carried by pulleys 412 and 414 are arranged above ~-the conveyor timing belts 402. Accordingly, as the envelope continues its travel, it is conveyed by both upper and lower belts.
Located adjacent the end of timing conveyor belt 402 is -a single, wide exit endless conveyor belt 416. Conveyor belt 416 i8 supported by idler rollers 418, 420, 422, 424 and driving --roller 426. Above the conveyor belt 416 is located a plurality of endless driving belts 428 each being supported by an idler pulley 430 and a driving pulley 432. A plurality of friction :-means 434 which are in the form of fixed rollers are positioned ~ -between drive pulleys 414 and 430 and immediately above the beginning of exit conveyor belt 416. These friction means 434 are suspended from a frame 436 which is pivotally mounted by pin 438 to bracket 440 secured to side frame portion 212. As a result of limit stop means (not shown), frame 436 is pro-hibited from pivoting downwardly past the position shown in ~igures 1 and 10. Frame 436, however, can be pivoted upwardly ~1176 P/2 CA -14-,,, ~, , . ,, . , . i .
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1 in order to remove the friction means 434 from the position , -.
shown in Figures 1 and 10. This is facilitated by a handle 442 which extends towards the front of the envelope opening machine adjacent the top of frame 436. Friction means 434 can also be moved upwardly and downwardly by means of adjusting screw 443 whereby the gap between the friction means 434 and the exit con-veyor belt 416 is adjustable.
The gap 433 between friction means 434 and exit con-veyor 416 is normally set to be equal to the contents of each envelope and one panel of the envelope, In other words, the height of gap 433 is equal to the thickness of the envelope enter-ing the gap minus the thickness of one panel of the envelope.
Accordingly, as best seen in Figure 1, as the envelope is con-veyed by belts 402 and 410 toward belts 428 and 416, friction : :
means 434 engage the forward end of the top panel 444 of the .
envelope and begins to peel this top panel 444 back (See Figure : :
16), As the envelope continues to be conveyed to the left (as shown in Figure 1), the friction means 434 completely peels the panel 444 of the envelope back, thereby exposing the contents 446 of the envelope, It will be remembered that both side edges and the top (now forward) edge of the enveIope have been des-troyed by the carbonizing means 220 and 318, A roller 448 located above exit conveyor belt 416 and adjacent the exit end of the envelope opening machine presses the opened envelope `~
against the exit conveyor belt 416 to help ensure that the -envelope remains open, '- :.:
Driving power for all of the drive belts and the con-veyor beIt 416 of envelope opening section 400 is provided by tor 14 through chain 18, As shown in Figures 1 and 2, chain 18 transmits driving power first to a sprocket mounted at the end o rotary shaft 452 which supports driving pulleys 432, Thereafter, the chain drives a sprocket mounted at the end of 3~1176 P/2 CA -15-, . . : ,. , ~4185iC
1 the rotating shaft which supports driving roller 426. Chain 18 then meshes with a sprocket mounted on idler shaft 456 and meshes with a sprocket mounted at one end of rotating shaft 458 which carries driving pulleys 408. A gear 457 mounted at the other end of shaft 458 meshes with a similar gear 459 on shaft 461 which carries driving pulleys 414. In addition, an endless driving belt 460 transfers the rotary motion of rotating shaft 452 to roller 448 mounted on rotating shaft 462. This is accomplished by means of pulleys 464 and 466 mounted on rotating shafts 452 and 462, respectively. While not specifically shown, it should be understood that appropriate bearings are provided for mounting each of the rotating shafts which support the various pulleys and rollers of the envelope opening section 400. ~ ~' All of the operations of the envelope opening machine 10 described above are controlled by the control circuit 500 ,-shown in block diagram in Figure 17. At the heart of the control - :
circuit is a clock circuit 502 which generates a plurality of - , timed signal pulses. One each of these pulses is delivered to a '' different one of five driver circuits 504, 506, 508, 510 and 512 ' ,- -which are adapted to drive the various solenoids. In addition, ~' -a pulse signal from the clock circuit 502 is transmitted to the - -stepping index motor 218 for indexing the transport wheel 202. - ' The timing sequence and duration of the pulses generated by clock '~ ' circuit 502 are shown in Figure 1~. -' -Referring to Figure 18, it can be seen that at time Tl, ' , '' a pulse is sent from the clock circuit 502 to the stepping motor control circuit 514 to initiate a 20-step index of the transport wheel 202. A 20-step index is equal to a movement of 36 of the ~', transport wheel 202, This is equivalent to moving one slot of ''' the transport wheel 202,between two stations since there are ten sets ~f slots and ten stations, At time T2, clock circuit 502 initiates a pulse to the side seat solenoid drive circuit 504 ~1176 P/2 CA ~ 16-,, , ,. ,, .. , " ., , ,, , ,, . . ~ , . . ..
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1 and to the top seat solenoid drive circuit 508 which simultaneous-ly drive the side edge carbonizing means 220 and 220' and the top edge carbonizing means 318 in towards the envelopes located at station B and C, respectively, At the same time, i.e, time T2, the clock circuit 502 discontinues the pulses to the side retract solenoid drive circuit 506 and the top retract solenoid drive circuit 510 thereby releasing the edge carbonizing means from :
their hold-out positions. At time T3, which is during the time ~.
interval that the edge carbonizing means 220, 220' and 318 are destroying the edges of the envelopes, the clock circuit 502 initiates a pulse to the feed solenoid drive circuit 512 which energizes the feed solenoid 134 and feeds an envelope from the : :
hopper 102 to the transport wheel 202 at station A. At time T4, the clock circuit 502 discontinues the pulses to the side and top seat solenoid drive circuits 504 and 508 and simultaneously initiates pulses to the side and top retract solenoid drive .: -circuits 506 and 510 At time T6, the clock circuit 502 again initiates an index pulse to the stepping motor control circuit 514 and the sequence of pulses described above repeats ` :
It should be noted that the speed of operation of the ::
letter opening machine 10 can be easily changed merely by pro- :
viding an adjustment means within the clock circuit 502 which ~
will adjust the time interval between the times T4 and T5. The -time intervals Tl to T2, T2 to T3 and T3 to T4 should, however, be held constant regardless of the speed of the machine so that a constant burn is achieved, The control circuit 500 is also provided with means for inhibiting the feeding of envelopes from hopper 102 to the trans-port wheeI 202 in the event that the letter opening machine is operating improperly. The first of these means is an out-of-sync detector cir~uit 516 which activates inhibit switch 522 whenever a slot 208 in transport wheel 202 fails to be properly #1176 P/2 CA -17-- , , , , ~ . . .
1041~S~
1 positioned beneath the envelope feed section 100 at station A
When inhibit switch 522 is activated by the out-of-sync detector circuit 516, the feed pulse signal from clock circuit 502 is prevented from passing to the feed solenoid drive circuit 512.
Out-of-sync detector circuit 516 is controlled by a ~icro-switch 518 (see Figure 3) mounted adjacent a disk 519 supported at the end of shaft 213. Disk 519 is adapted to rotate with shaft 213.
A plurality of holes or notches 520 are equi-angularly spaced about the disk 519 and are adapted to close the micro-switch 518 as the transport wheel 202 is indexed. The micro-switch 518 and ~
notches 520 are arranged so that a different one of the notches -~ -520 closes micro-switch 518 whenever an enveIope receiving slot is properly aligned beneath the envelope feed section 100.
Accordingly, should transport wheeI 202 become misaligned or out of sync this will be detected by micro-switch 518 and out-of-sync detector circuit 516 will activate inhibit switch 522. It should be readily apparent that a magnetic or photo-electric --:
switch could be used in place of the micro-switch described.
A means is provided for detecting the presence of an envelope at the enveIope opening section 400. The envelopes are ~ -sensed by a micro-switch 526 placed beneath the belts on which the envelopes travel (see Figure 10). Micro-switch 526 has an activator leaf 528 which extends upwardly to a point just above the belt line, i.e. within the plane of movement of the envelopes. Accordingly, an envelope entering the envelope opening section 400 and located in the position shown in Figure ~ -1 presses the leaft 528 downwardly thereby activing the micro-switch 526. Each time micro-switch 526 is activated, counter 530 is increased to show that another enveIope has been opened.
In addition, each time micro-switch 526 is activated, it initiates timer circuit 532 Timer circuit 532 is adapted to activate inhibit switch 522 after an elapsed time of approxi-#1176 P/2 CA -18-",, ", -, ", :,, , - , . . .
1 mately one second. In other words, should an envelope remain within the envelope opening section 400 at the position shown in Figure 1 for more than one second, inhibit switch 522 will be activated thereby inhibiting the feed signal pulse from clock circuit 502 from passing to the feed solenoid drive circuit 512.
This condition would indicate that an envelope has become jammed in the envelope opening section 400 and no further envelopes -would be fed from the hopper 102 until the jam were removed.
Figure 11 shows a modified form of an envelope hopper which can be used in place of hopper 102. The hopper shown in Figure 11 includes a pair of upwardly extending side walls 550 and 552 and a bottom wall 554 connecting the side walls 550 and 552. Arms 556 project inwardly from the top edge of each side wall 550 and 552 adjacent each end of the side walls. Each -inwardly extending arm 556 has a plurality of vertical grooves ~
558 on its inner surface. The hopper also includes two movable ~ -walls 560 and 562. These walls 560 and 562 have projections 564 ~-adjacent each end of their top edges which projections are - -adapted to be received in the grooves 558 of arms 556. Accord-ingly, side walls 560 and 562 can be located in any one of a plurality of positions whereby the hopper can accommodate a wide variety of different size enveIopes.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.
#1176 P/2 CA -19-. .
DISCLOSURE
1 The present invention is directed to an envelope open-ing machine and more particularly to an envelope opening machine which is capable of automatically opening up to 3600 pieces of mail per hour. The envelope opening machine of the present invention constitutes a mechanized mailroom and is particularly useful for users who receive large volumes of mail each day. -The envelope opening machine of the present invention will substantially lower labor costs and overhead. Not only are three sides of the envelope opened, but the contents of the envelope are thereafter exposed and mechanically conveyed to a location wherein the contents may be removed and separated. The envelope opening machine of the present invention is also easy -to operate and does not require any operating personnel other than one operator to feed the envelopes into the machine and ~-the operators associated with the discharge assembly line for removing the contents of the envelopes from the envelopes. - -In the envelope opening machine of the present inven- -tion, a stack of envelopes are stored in a hopper and are auto-matically removed one at a time from the hopper. The envelopes ~- -are conveyed to a horizontally disposed transport wheel which transports each envelope to a first station where the side edges of the envelope are burned, a second station where the top edge of the envelope is burned and to a third station where the envelope is removed from the transport wheel. Thereafter, the ~ -thusly treated envelope is automatically moved to an envelope opening section wherein a means forming a part of the machine automatically manipulates one of the envelope panels to expose the contents thereof.
~ or the purpose of illustrating the present invention, there is ~hown in the drawings a form which i8 presently pre-erred; it being understood, however, that this invention is not #1176 P/2 CA -1- ~ .
.
: \ 1041~S'~
1 ~ limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities sho~n.
Figure 1 is a side sectional view of a letter opening machine in accordance with the present invention.
Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 2-2 in Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 in Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 in Figure 1, the hopper, located at the top of Figure 1, being removed, however, for clarity.
Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5-5 in Figure 3.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the envelope guide -means shown in section in Figure 3.
Figure 7 is a sectional view taken along the line 7-7 ~-in Figure 1.
Figure 8 is a sectional view taken along the line 8-8 in Figure 7.
Figure 9 is a sectional view taken along the line 9-9 in Figure 1.
Figure 10 is an exploded sectional view of the envelope opening mechanism. ~ -Figure 11 is a perspective view of a modified form of an envelope hopper useful with the present invention. -Figure 12 is an exploded partial perspective view of one end of an envelope edge carbonizing means.
Figures 13 - 16 inclusive are perspective views of an envelope at various stages in its processing by the present letter opening machine;
3o Figure 13 showing the envelope intact as it would appear before processing;
Figure 14 5howing the envelope of Figure 13 with two ~de edge~ thereof carbonized by the apparatus of Figure 7;
#1176 P/2 CA - 2 tt~; , .. . . . . ..
, . : , . . . .
.. . . .
lO~ Z
1 Figure 1~ showing the envelope of Figures 13 and 14 with three side edges thereof carbonized by the apparatus of Figure 9, and Figure 16 showing the envelope of Figures 13, 14, and 15 with one panel peeled back by the apparatus of Figure 10 to expose its contents.
Figure 17 is a block diagram of a control circuit for controlling the operation of the envelope opening machine of the present invention, and Figure 18 is a chart showing the timing sequence for the control circuit of Figure 17.
Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein like -numerals indicate like elements, there is shown in Figure 1 a side sectional view o~ a letter opening machine in accordance wlth the present invention and designated generally as 10. The -machine 10 includes a support frame designated generally as 12 which supports the various components of the machine. The machine can be considered to be generally composed of three operating sections: an envelope feed section designated gener-ally as 100, an envelope transport and carbonizing section designated generally as 200 and an envelope opening section designated generally as 400. Driving power for most of the -moving elements of the machine is provided by a continuously operating motor 14 mounted on plate 16 which is secured in a -known manner to frame 12. Power is transmitted to the various elements through a series of chains 18-22, sprockets 24-34, and pulleys which will be more fully described below.
A ~tack of envelopes 112 each being similar to the enrelope 113 shown in Figure 13 are manually placed in the ho~per 102 locate~ in the envelope feed section 100. The '' hopper 102 ha~ a ~ide wall 104, a downwardly inclined bottom wall 106 and a~ end wall 108. End wall 108 has a plurality of ~ert~cal ~lot ~haped openlng~ 110 therein which are adapted to #1176 P/2 CA _ 3 _ 1 periodically receive feed belts 116 and 116'. An opening 111 in bottom wall 106 is large enough to allow one of the envelopes in stack 112 to pass therethrough A weight in the form of a roller 114 which is adapted to freely roll on the downwardly inclined bottom wall 106 helps maintain the envelopes 112 in their upright position and further helps force the envelopes against the end wall 108.
The remaining parts of the envelope feed section are comprised essentially of a plurality of feed belts, drive belts and drive wheels which, in the manner to be more fully described below, convey the envelopes 112 from the hopper 102 to the envelope transport and carbonizing section 200. As shown more clearly in Figures 3 and 4, these belts and wheels are arranged in symmetrical pairs about the vertical center of the envelope feed section 100. Accordingly, the following description will be directed primarily towards the envelope feed elements shown in the left half of Figures 3 and 4, it being understood, how-ever, that the corresponding elements shown in the right-hand side of each Figure, which corresponding elements are corres-pondingly identified by primed numerals, are constructed and function in the same manner as those being described As most clearly shown in Figure 1, the envelopes 112 are transferred from the hopper 102 by continuously driven end-less feed belt 116. Feed belt 116 is mounted about idler ~:
pulleys 118, 120, 122 and 124 and is moved in the direction shown by the arrows by drive pulley 126. A pair of idler pulleys 128 and 130, rotatably mounted on block 132 engage the feed belt 116 and with the aid of solenoid 134 are adapted to selectively move : . -the feed belt 116 through opening 110 into frictional contact with the first envelope in the stack o envelopes 112 positioned within the hopper 102 At the proper time, which is controlled by the control #1176 P/2 CA _4_ ,. : :
Z
1 circuit 500 to be more fully described below, solenoid 134, mounted on support plate 136, is energized thereby moving rollers 128 and 130 outwardly or to the left as shown in Figure 1. This movement of rollers 128 and 130 causes feed belt 116 to friction-ally engage the first envelope in the stack of envelopes 112 and move it downwardly through the opening 111 at the bottom of the hopper 102. As the feed belt 116 continues to move the envelope 112 downwardly, the envelope 112 is forced through the gap between idler roller 138 and kick back roller 140. Located immediately below idler roller 138 and kick back roller 140 are a pair of feed rollers 142 and 144 each of which has a sponge rubber surface thereon. As the feed belt 116 moves the envelope 112 between idler roller 138 and kick back roller 140 the leading edge of the envelope 112 enters the nip between feed rollers 142 and 144 and is driven by these feed rollers downwardly into one -of the slots 208 in wheel 202 of the envelope transport and -carbonizing section 200. As best seen in Figure 1, the feed belt -116 is arranged to be substantially parallel to the path of move-ment of the envelope as it approaches the wheel 202 thereby act- ~-ing as a guide means for insuring that the envelope is properly aligned with the slot 208. A side guide 146 is also provided $.~ ' along the path of travel of the envelope in order to prevent the ~
envelope from moving sideways. As best seen in Figure 6, the - ~ -guide 146 includes a vertical portion and a flared top portion 148 which helps guide the envelope into the vertical portion. ~ -The guide 146 is securely fixed to a slide portion 150 which is slidable on support bar 152. By this arrangement, the guide 146 can be moved inwardly or outwardly to adjust for various size envelopes. Once the guide 146 is moved to its proper posi-tion, it is securely held there by set screw 154.
Referring again to Figure 1 it can be seen that the gap between idler roller 138 and kick back roller 14~ is #1176 P/2 CA _5_ ,, ", ,,"~,~" ~,", j",, ,,,"",,,,,,,, . ,,,.,, ,. ,.. .. ,, . ,,~.
5~ -1 adjusted to be approximately equal to the thickness of one envelope. Accordingly, if more than one envelope should descend into the gap, the forwardmost envelope would be kicked back up-wardly by the reversely rotating kick back roller 140. Further-more, as will be more clearly shown below, kick back roller 140 rotates at a faster rate than feed belt 116 and feed rollers 142 and 144 to ensure that the forward envelope will be kicked back if more than one envelope should enter the gap. Under normal conditions, however, the envelope would not contact kick back roller 140 since the gap between idler roller 138 and kick back roller 140 is substantially equal to the thickness of the envelope. Accordingly, one envelope would pass freely through the gap.
In order to accommodate envelopes of various thick- -nesses, the gap between idler roller 138 and kick back roller 140 is adjustable. To this end, idler roller 138 is rotatably mounted on a horizontally disposed shaft at one end of a lever 156. Lever 156 is pivotally mounted on block 158 (see Figure 4) by pivot pin 160. The other end of lever 156 is connected to a spring 162 which in turn is connected to a screw 164 carried by bracket 166 mounted on support plate 136. Accordingly, the force of spring 162 causes idler roller 138 to move toward kick back roller 140. A screw 168 threaded through support plate 136 - ~ -acts as an adjustable stop means for the lever 156. According-ly, the gap between idler roller 138 and kick back roller 140 is -~
easily adjusted by turning screw 168.
Figures 3 and 4 show the manner in which the elements of the envelope feed section 100, described above, are mounted.
In each of these figures, the envelope hopper 102 has been removed or clarity. As can be seen from these figures, sub- -stantially all of the elements of the envelope feed section 100 ~- -are located between and supported by a pair o~ upwardly extend-~1176 P/2 CA - 6-, , , , , ,, ,, , ;, , -,,:,-- ,,;
. .
-z 1 ing side walls 168 and 168'. As shown in Figure 1, these up-wardly extending side walls 168 and 168' are vertical while the various components of the feed section 100 are supported by these walls 168 and 168' so as to be inclined slightly rearwardly.
These side walls 168 and 168' are rigidly secured to the main frame 12 in a manner well known in the art.
Adjacent the upper ends of the side walls and extending horizontally between the two walls 168, 168' is the support plate 136. The support plate 136 is secured to the side walls 168 and 168' by bolts 172 and 172'. As stated above, solenoid 134 i~ secured to the support plate 136 adjacent the center thereof. In addition, block 158 which pivotally supports lever -156 is secured to the support plate 136 by bolts 174. Each - -idler pulley for feed belt 116 is rotatably supported at the upper end of support plate 136 by bracket 176 and appropriate bearings (not shown) carried by bracket 176. ;
Extending between side walls 168 and 168' are a plurality of rotatably mounted horizontally disposed shafts supported on the side walls by suitable bearings. As best seen - -in Figure 4, shaft 178, upon which are mounted drive pulleys 126 and 126' extends through side wall 168' and terminates in a suit-able sprocket (not shown). Chain 22 passes over said sprocket ~ -to provide drive power to shaft 178 and to the entire envelope feed section 100. Also connected to shaft 178 and immediately - -adjacent the sprocket and chain 22 is a pulley 180.
A drive belt 182 transfers the rotary motion of shaft - -178 from pulley 180 to pulley 183 secured to the end of shaft -184 which supports feed rollers 142 and 142'. Shaft 184 also extends through side wall 168 and terminates in a gear 185.
Gear 185 meshes wfth gear 186 which is secured to the end of ~haft 187 upon which is carried feed rollers 144 and 144'. -~
Since 8ears 185 and 186 are the same size and have the same #1176 P/2 CA - 7-" , " . :, . . .
.. . . . . . . . .
-la~
1 number of teeth, feed rollers 142 and 142' rotate at the same speed as feed rollers 144 and 144'. However, as a result of the gears 185 and 186, these rollers are caused to rotate in opposite directions as shown by the arrows in Figure 1. Also connected to shaft 187 is a second and smaller gear 188, see Figure 5.
Gear 188 meshes with an even smaller gear 189 secured to the end of shaft 190 which carries kick back rollers 140 and 140'. As a result of the position and relative sizes of these gears, kick back rollers 140 and 140' are caused to rotate at a greater speed than rollers 144 and 144' and in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the rollers 144, 144' as shown in Figure 1.
In addition to the driven shafts described above, shafts are also provided for idler pulleys 120 and 122 such as shaft 192 shown in Figure 4. It will be understood that a similar shaft is provided for idler pulley 122. It should also be understood that, while not specifically described, each of .~:~
the rotating shafts described above are supported by suitable bearings which are well known in the art.
It can also be seen in Figure 3 that support bar 152 . -for envelope guide means 146 and 146' is secured to side walls 168 and 168' by screws 194 and 194'. An envelope 113A is shown in phantom in Figure 3 between the guides 146 and 146'. In this position, the envelope has passed through the envelope feed section 100 and is located in one of the slots 208 of the wheel 202 in the envelope transport and carbonizing section 200. . --The envelope transport and carbonizing section 200 of the letter opening machine 10 is comprised essentially of a `-' transport wheel 202, a plurality of carbonizing means for de~troying the edges of the envelopes and a take-off belt for . -removing thé enveIope~ fr~m the transport wheel 202. Similar to the envelope feed section 100, the envelope transport and #1176 P/2 CA - 8-,, ,, , , , , ,, , , ,~
' ' ' , ' " , ' 1 carbonizing section 200 is composed of a plurality of identical elements and accordingly the following description will be directed primarily towards one set of these elements. It being understood that the remaining elements, not specifically des-cribed, are substantially the same as those being described and function in exactly the same manner.
The envelope transport wheel 202 is composed of a plurality of identical wheels. Each wheel includes a hub portion 204, a plurality of spokes 206 equiangularly spaced about the hub 204 and a radially extending slot 208 in each of the spokes 206.
The open end of each slot 208 is tapered outwardly as shown at 210. This facilitates the entry and exit of the envelopes to and from the slot 208 in wheel 202. Transport wheel 202 is rotatably mounted by horizontally disposed shaft 213 having one end secured to side frame portion 212 through a suitable bearing ~
such as shown at 214. A stepping motor 218, controlled by the -control circuit 500, supports the other end of shaft 213 and selectively moves the transport wheel 202 intermittently through the several operating stations A-D and the several non-operative -----stations E-J in the direction shown by the arrow in Figure 1. ~ - -At operating position A, an envelope 113 is fed into the slot 208 -in the spokes 206. The transport wheel 202 is then moved to a position B where both side edges of the envelope 113 are simul-taneously destroyed by carbonizing means 220 and 220'. An - --envelope 113B with its side edges destroyed by carbonizing means 220 and 220' i8 shown in Figure 14. -As best shown in Figures 7 and 8, the side edge carbonizing means 220 ànd 220' are adapted to move inwardly toward the envelope 113B to destroy the side edges thereof and outwardly away from the envelope 113B to allow the envelope 113B
to proceed to the next station. Each side edge carbonizing means such as means 220 is secured to a plate 222 through a heat #1176 P/2 CA _g_ i~i8~Z
1 insulating means 224 and bolts 226. Plate 222 is fixedly connected to a pair of slide bearings 228 and 230 which are adapted to slide linearly on slide rods 232 and 234, respective-ly. Slide rods 232 and 234 are securely fastened to a support bracket 236 by screws 238 and 240. Shock absorbing stopper means 242, 244, 246 and 248 are arranged at each end of each of the slide rods 232 and 234 in order to limit the sliding movement of the slide bearings 228 and 230. Connected between slide bearings 228 and 230 is a joining rod 250 having a reduced diameter por-tion 252 intermediate the ends thereof. The forked end 254 of a lever 256 slidably engages the reduced diameter portion 252 of joining rod 250.
At a point 258, remote from the forked end 254, lever 256 is pivotably secured to a support bracket 260. A pair of solenoids 262 and 264 are also mounted on support brackets 260 and are adapted to engage lever 256 on opposite sides of pivot point 258. Accordingly, when solenoid 262 is energized, lever 256 causes side edge carbonizing means 220 to slide outwardly away from envelope 113B and when solenoid 264 is energized, lever 256 causes side edge carbonizing means 220 to move inwardly toward envelope 113B.
As best shown in Figures 8 and 12, each edge carboniz- :
ing means 220 includes a housing composed of side wall portions .
266 and 268 having inwardly flanged end portions such as 270 and 272. Contained within the housing is an electric heating ele- -ment 274 enclosed within a metallic holder 276. The metallic ~ :
holder 276 has a V-groove 278 which is adapted to engage the side edge of envelope 113B for carbonizing or destroying the edge of the envelope. A thermistor 279 is mounted within the metallic holder 276 adjacent the V-groove 278. Thermistor 279 i8 connected to a temperature control circuit (not shown) for maintaining the eIectric heating element 274 and consequently .
#11.76 P/2 CA -10-" '' ''' " ""'" ''"','',''','",' .,'' ':, , ", -1 the metallic holder 276 at a constant desired temperature.
This temperature should be approximately 750-800 F. for best results. Heat insulators 280, 282 and 284 are positioned around the sides and rear of the metallic holder 276 and a mounting block 286 is positioned on the side of heat insulator 284 remote from the metallic holder 276.
The side wall portions 266 and 268 of the housing are secured together by means of a bolt 288 which passes through appropriate holes in the side wall portions and the mounting block 286 and a nut 290. In addition, a C-shaped retaining bar --292 having inwardly flanged edge portions 294 which are adapted to slide in elongated grooves 296 and 298 in side wall portions 266 and 268, respectively, further secures the side wall portions of the housing together. This is accomplished by first tighten-ing nut 290 on bolt 288 so that the side wall portions 266 and 268 taper slightly outwardly towards the bottom edges and then -forcing the C-shaped retaining bar 292 downwardly in grooves 296 and 298. In this way, the grooves 296 and 298 act as cammed sur- -faces for the C-shaped retaining bar 292. A wiring block 300 is ~-then positioned over the end of the edge carbonizing means 220.
The wiring block 300 includes a groove 302 adapted to receive wires (not shown) which are connected to an appropriate source of electrical current for the heating element 274. Also con-tained within groove 302 are wiring terminals 304 and 306 to which the wires not shown are to be connected. In addition, wires 308 and 310 from the electrical heating element 274 are ' -electrically connected to the wiring terminals 304 and 306. :
The wirlng block 300 is securely fastened to the remaining parts of the edge carbonizing means 220 by screws 312 and 31~ which pa88 through appropriate holes in cover member 316, wiring block 300 and mounting block 286.
After the side edges of the envelope are destroyed by #1176 P/2 CA -11--~v~ s~
1 side edge carbonizing means 220 and 220', the transport wheel 202 is indexed from station B to station C where the top edge of the envelope is destroyed by top edge carbonizing means 318.
See Figure 9. The top edge carbonizing means 318 is constructed in substantially the same manner as the side edge carbonizing means 220 and 220' and accordingly a detailed description thereof will not be given, it being understood that the description above of the side edge carbonizing means 220 and 220' applies also to the top edge carbonizing means 318. Furthermore, for clarity, the corresponding elements of the top edge carbonizing means 318 and side edge carbonizing means 220 have been design-ated by like reference numerals.
Top edge carbonizing means 318 is securely mounted to a horizontally disposed mounting bar 320 by heat insulators 322, 324 and bolts 326 and 328. Each end of mounting bar 320 is mounted for linear slidable movement so that the entire top edge carbonizing means 318 can be moved toward and away from the top edge of the envelope located at station C. Since the driving means located at each end of mounting bar 320 are substantially ~ -identical to each other, only one will be described in detail; :
it being understood that the remaining means is constructed and - - -performs in substantially the same manner as the one being described. --Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 9, it can be seen that the end of mounting bar 320 is fixedly secured to a slide bear- :
ing 330 which is adapted to slide on slide rod 332. Slide rod .
332 is securely fastened to a support bracket 334 which is integral with side frame portions 212. Shock absorbing stopper means 336 and 338 are arranged at each end of slide rod 332 in order to limit the sliding movement of the sliding bearing 330.
An outwardly extending pln 340 iR integrally connected to slide bearing 330 and is received in the forked end 342 of a lever ~1176 P/2 CA -12- --' , ,',,, , ; ', .';"',.,, -."., ,. ,, , , .,, .. ,, . , ,: , . . .
~ 5 ~
1 344. Lever 344 is pivotally mounted to upright support bracket 334 by pivot pin 346. A counter weight 348 is suspended from the other end of lever 344. -As best seen in Figure 1, a solenoid 350 is secured to upright support bracket 334 by an L-bracket 352 and engages the upper side of lever 344 at a point between forked end 342 and pivot pin 346. A second solenoid 354 is similarly mounted by an L-bracket 356 to side frame portion 212. Solenoid 354 also engages lever 344 at a point intermediate the forked end 342 and pivot pin 346 but on the underside of lever 344. It can be seen that by this arrangement, when solenoid 350 is energized, it causes lever 344 to move clockwise (as viewed in Figure 1) ~ -against the weight of counter weight 348. This clockwise move-ment of lever 344 moves pin 340 and slide bearing 330 to the right and downwardly so that top edge carbonizing means 318 engages and destroys the top edge of the envelope located at station C. Similarly, it can bP seen that when solenoid 350 is :
de-energized and solenoid 356 is energized, lever 344 is caused to rotate counterclockwise (as view in Figure 1) and top edge -~-carbonizing means 318 is thereby moved away from the top edge of -the envelope. .
After the top edge of the envelope is destroyed by top edge carbonizing means 318 (an envelope 113C having its top edge ~ --80 destroyed is shown in Figure 15) the transport wheel 202 is ~ .
again indexed thereby transporting the envelope from station C
to station D where the envelope is removed from the transport wheel 202. This removal is accomplished by a plurality of end-less timing conveyor belts 402, 402' and 402''. Each timing belt is supported by pulleys 404 and 406 and isposit:ivel-y driven ~ -by a drivepulley 408. As with many of the other elements of the envelope opening machine, all of the timing conveyor beIts are cons~ructed and function in the same manner and accordingly #1176 P/2 CA -13-~o~
1 while only one will be described in detail, it being understood that this description applies equally to the remaining timing conveyor belts. This also applies to many of the remaining elements in the envelope opening section. While only one will be described in detail, it will be understood that each of the plurality of similar elements is constructed and functions in the same manner as the one being described.
Referring to Figure 1, it can be seen that when the envelope in the transport wheel 202 is located at station D, it is substantially horizontal and rests on the horizontally dis-posed run of conveyor timing belt 402. The conveyor timing belts frictionally engage the bottom side of the envelope and convey the same out of the slot 208 in transport wheel 202 toward the left in ~igure 1. A plurality of endless drive belts such as belt 410 carried by pulleys 412 and 414 are arranged above ~-the conveyor timing belts 402. Accordingly, as the envelope continues its travel, it is conveyed by both upper and lower belts.
Located adjacent the end of timing conveyor belt 402 is -a single, wide exit endless conveyor belt 416. Conveyor belt 416 i8 supported by idler rollers 418, 420, 422, 424 and driving --roller 426. Above the conveyor belt 416 is located a plurality of endless driving belts 428 each being supported by an idler pulley 430 and a driving pulley 432. A plurality of friction :-means 434 which are in the form of fixed rollers are positioned ~ -between drive pulleys 414 and 430 and immediately above the beginning of exit conveyor belt 416. These friction means 434 are suspended from a frame 436 which is pivotally mounted by pin 438 to bracket 440 secured to side frame portion 212. As a result of limit stop means (not shown), frame 436 is pro-hibited from pivoting downwardly past the position shown in ~igures 1 and 10. Frame 436, however, can be pivoted upwardly ~1176 P/2 CA -14-,,, ~, , . ,, . , . i .
1(~4~
1 in order to remove the friction means 434 from the position , -.
shown in Figures 1 and 10. This is facilitated by a handle 442 which extends towards the front of the envelope opening machine adjacent the top of frame 436. Friction means 434 can also be moved upwardly and downwardly by means of adjusting screw 443 whereby the gap between the friction means 434 and the exit con-veyor belt 416 is adjustable.
The gap 433 between friction means 434 and exit con-veyor 416 is normally set to be equal to the contents of each envelope and one panel of the envelope, In other words, the height of gap 433 is equal to the thickness of the envelope enter-ing the gap minus the thickness of one panel of the envelope.
Accordingly, as best seen in Figure 1, as the envelope is con-veyed by belts 402 and 410 toward belts 428 and 416, friction : :
means 434 engage the forward end of the top panel 444 of the .
envelope and begins to peel this top panel 444 back (See Figure : :
16), As the envelope continues to be conveyed to the left (as shown in Figure 1), the friction means 434 completely peels the panel 444 of the envelope back, thereby exposing the contents 446 of the envelope, It will be remembered that both side edges and the top (now forward) edge of the enveIope have been des-troyed by the carbonizing means 220 and 318, A roller 448 located above exit conveyor belt 416 and adjacent the exit end of the envelope opening machine presses the opened envelope `~
against the exit conveyor belt 416 to help ensure that the -envelope remains open, '- :.:
Driving power for all of the drive belts and the con-veyor beIt 416 of envelope opening section 400 is provided by tor 14 through chain 18, As shown in Figures 1 and 2, chain 18 transmits driving power first to a sprocket mounted at the end o rotary shaft 452 which supports driving pulleys 432, Thereafter, the chain drives a sprocket mounted at the end of 3~1176 P/2 CA -15-, . . : ,. , ~4185iC
1 the rotating shaft which supports driving roller 426. Chain 18 then meshes with a sprocket mounted on idler shaft 456 and meshes with a sprocket mounted at one end of rotating shaft 458 which carries driving pulleys 408. A gear 457 mounted at the other end of shaft 458 meshes with a similar gear 459 on shaft 461 which carries driving pulleys 414. In addition, an endless driving belt 460 transfers the rotary motion of rotating shaft 452 to roller 448 mounted on rotating shaft 462. This is accomplished by means of pulleys 464 and 466 mounted on rotating shafts 452 and 462, respectively. While not specifically shown, it should be understood that appropriate bearings are provided for mounting each of the rotating shafts which support the various pulleys and rollers of the envelope opening section 400. ~ ~' All of the operations of the envelope opening machine 10 described above are controlled by the control circuit 500 ,-shown in block diagram in Figure 17. At the heart of the control - :
circuit is a clock circuit 502 which generates a plurality of - , timed signal pulses. One each of these pulses is delivered to a '' different one of five driver circuits 504, 506, 508, 510 and 512 ' ,- -which are adapted to drive the various solenoids. In addition, ~' -a pulse signal from the clock circuit 502 is transmitted to the - -stepping index motor 218 for indexing the transport wheel 202. - ' The timing sequence and duration of the pulses generated by clock '~ ' circuit 502 are shown in Figure 1~. -' -Referring to Figure 18, it can be seen that at time Tl, ' , '' a pulse is sent from the clock circuit 502 to the stepping motor control circuit 514 to initiate a 20-step index of the transport wheel 202. A 20-step index is equal to a movement of 36 of the ~', transport wheel 202, This is equivalent to moving one slot of ''' the transport wheel 202,between two stations since there are ten sets ~f slots and ten stations, At time T2, clock circuit 502 initiates a pulse to the side seat solenoid drive circuit 504 ~1176 P/2 CA ~ 16-,, , ,. ,, .. , " ., , ,, , ,, . . ~ , . . ..
-10~
1 and to the top seat solenoid drive circuit 508 which simultaneous-ly drive the side edge carbonizing means 220 and 220' and the top edge carbonizing means 318 in towards the envelopes located at station B and C, respectively, At the same time, i.e, time T2, the clock circuit 502 discontinues the pulses to the side retract solenoid drive circuit 506 and the top retract solenoid drive circuit 510 thereby releasing the edge carbonizing means from :
their hold-out positions. At time T3, which is during the time ~.
interval that the edge carbonizing means 220, 220' and 318 are destroying the edges of the envelopes, the clock circuit 502 initiates a pulse to the feed solenoid drive circuit 512 which energizes the feed solenoid 134 and feeds an envelope from the : :
hopper 102 to the transport wheel 202 at station A. At time T4, the clock circuit 502 discontinues the pulses to the side and top seat solenoid drive circuits 504 and 508 and simultaneously initiates pulses to the side and top retract solenoid drive .: -circuits 506 and 510 At time T6, the clock circuit 502 again initiates an index pulse to the stepping motor control circuit 514 and the sequence of pulses described above repeats ` :
It should be noted that the speed of operation of the ::
letter opening machine 10 can be easily changed merely by pro- :
viding an adjustment means within the clock circuit 502 which ~
will adjust the time interval between the times T4 and T5. The -time intervals Tl to T2, T2 to T3 and T3 to T4 should, however, be held constant regardless of the speed of the machine so that a constant burn is achieved, The control circuit 500 is also provided with means for inhibiting the feeding of envelopes from hopper 102 to the trans-port wheeI 202 in the event that the letter opening machine is operating improperly. The first of these means is an out-of-sync detector cir~uit 516 which activates inhibit switch 522 whenever a slot 208 in transport wheel 202 fails to be properly #1176 P/2 CA -17-- , , , , ~ . . .
1041~S~
1 positioned beneath the envelope feed section 100 at station A
When inhibit switch 522 is activated by the out-of-sync detector circuit 516, the feed pulse signal from clock circuit 502 is prevented from passing to the feed solenoid drive circuit 512.
Out-of-sync detector circuit 516 is controlled by a ~icro-switch 518 (see Figure 3) mounted adjacent a disk 519 supported at the end of shaft 213. Disk 519 is adapted to rotate with shaft 213.
A plurality of holes or notches 520 are equi-angularly spaced about the disk 519 and are adapted to close the micro-switch 518 as the transport wheel 202 is indexed. The micro-switch 518 and ~
notches 520 are arranged so that a different one of the notches -~ -520 closes micro-switch 518 whenever an enveIope receiving slot is properly aligned beneath the envelope feed section 100.
Accordingly, should transport wheeI 202 become misaligned or out of sync this will be detected by micro-switch 518 and out-of-sync detector circuit 516 will activate inhibit switch 522. It should be readily apparent that a magnetic or photo-electric --:
switch could be used in place of the micro-switch described.
A means is provided for detecting the presence of an envelope at the enveIope opening section 400. The envelopes are ~ -sensed by a micro-switch 526 placed beneath the belts on which the envelopes travel (see Figure 10). Micro-switch 526 has an activator leaf 528 which extends upwardly to a point just above the belt line, i.e. within the plane of movement of the envelopes. Accordingly, an envelope entering the envelope opening section 400 and located in the position shown in Figure ~ -1 presses the leaft 528 downwardly thereby activing the micro-switch 526. Each time micro-switch 526 is activated, counter 530 is increased to show that another enveIope has been opened.
In addition, each time micro-switch 526 is activated, it initiates timer circuit 532 Timer circuit 532 is adapted to activate inhibit switch 522 after an elapsed time of approxi-#1176 P/2 CA -18-",, ", -, ", :,, , - , . . .
1 mately one second. In other words, should an envelope remain within the envelope opening section 400 at the position shown in Figure 1 for more than one second, inhibit switch 522 will be activated thereby inhibiting the feed signal pulse from clock circuit 502 from passing to the feed solenoid drive circuit 512.
This condition would indicate that an envelope has become jammed in the envelope opening section 400 and no further envelopes -would be fed from the hopper 102 until the jam were removed.
Figure 11 shows a modified form of an envelope hopper which can be used in place of hopper 102. The hopper shown in Figure 11 includes a pair of upwardly extending side walls 550 and 552 and a bottom wall 554 connecting the side walls 550 and 552. Arms 556 project inwardly from the top edge of each side wall 550 and 552 adjacent each end of the side walls. Each -inwardly extending arm 556 has a plurality of vertical grooves ~
558 on its inner surface. The hopper also includes two movable ~ -walls 560 and 562. These walls 560 and 562 have projections 564 ~-adjacent each end of their top edges which projections are - -adapted to be received in the grooves 558 of arms 556. Accord-ingly, side walls 560 and 562 can be located in any one of a plurality of positions whereby the hopper can accommodate a wide variety of different size enveIopes.
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof and, accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than to the foregoing specification as indicating the scope of the invention.
#1176 P/2 CA -19-. .
Claims (15)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:-
1. An envelope opening machine for automatically opening envelopes and exposing the contents thereof comprising a hopper, a pair of side edge destruction means, a top edge des-truction means, means for transferring an envelope from the hopper into alignment with the pair of side edge destruction means, means for moving said pair of side edge destruction means into contact with the side edges of the envelope for destroying said side edges, means for transferring the envelope from the pair of side edge destruction means into alignment with said top edge destruction means, means for moving said top edge destruc-tion means into contact with the top edge of the envelope for destroying said top edge, a discharge conveyor for discharging envelopes with their contents exposed and means between said discharge conveyor and said top edge destruction means for mov-ing one panel of the envelope to a position wherein the contents of the envelope are exposed.
2. A machine in accordance with Claim l wherein said pair of side edge destruction means are parallel to one another and are adapted to operate simultaneously for simultaneously destroying both side edges of the envelopes.
3. A machine in accordance with Claim 1 wherein each of said edge destruction means includes means for carbonizing an edge of an envelope.
4. A machine in accordance with Claim 3 wherein said carbonizing means includes a heater having a surface adapted to contact with the edge of an envelope.
5. A machine in accordance with Claim 1 wherein each of said edge destruction means is slidably mounted for recti-linear movement toward and away from a different edge of an envelope.
6. A machine in accordance with Claim 5 including solenoid means for moving said edge destruction means.
7. A machine in accordance with Claim 1 wherein said transferring means includes a transport wheel having a plurality of envelope receiving slots therein, and means for transferring an envelope from said hopper to one of said slots.
8. A machine in accordance with Claim 7 wherein said transport wheel is mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis and including a stepping motor means for rotating said transport wheel about said horizontal axis.
9. A machine in accordance with Claim 8 wherein each of said plurality of slots is radially extending and wherein said plurality of slots are equi-angularly spaced about said trans-port wheel.
10. A machine in accordance with Claim 7 wherein said means for transferring an envelope from said hopper includes a rotating feed drive means and a motive means for selectively mov-ing said rotating feed drive means into contact with an envelope in said hopper.
11. A machine in accordance with Claim 10 wherein said means for transferring an envelope from said hopper further includes a means for preventing more than one envelope at a time from being transferred from said hopper to said envelope trans-port wheel.
12. A machine in accordance with Claim 9 wherein said pair of side edge destruction means are arranged on either side of said transport wheel and are aligned with a radius of the axis of said transport wheel and wherein said top edge destruc-tion means is arranged parallel to said axis.
13. An envelope opening machine for automatically opening envelopes and exposing the contents thereof comprising a hopper, a pair of side edge destruction means, a top edge destruction means, means for transferring an envelope from the hopper into alignment with the pair of side edge destruction means for destroying the envelope side edges simultaneously, means for transferring the envelope from the pair of side edge destruction means into alignment with said top edge destruction means for destroying said top edge, a discharge conveyor for discharging the envelope and means between said discharge conveyor and said top edge destruction means for moving one panel of the envelope to a position wherein the contents of the envelope are exposed.
14. A machine in accordance with Claim 13 wherein said transferring means includes a transport wheel having a plurality of radially disposed envelope receiving slots therein, and means for transferring an envelope from said hopper to one of said slots.
15. A machine in accordance with Claim 14 wherein said pair of side edge destruction means are parallel to one another and are adapted to operate simultaneously for simultaneously destroying both side edges of the envelopes.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US484368A US3888069A (en) | 1974-07-01 | 1974-07-01 | Envelope opening machine |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1041852A true CA1041852A (en) | 1978-11-07 |
Family
ID=23923872
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA226,524A Expired CA1041852A (en) | 1974-07-01 | 1975-05-08 | High speed edge carbonizing envelope opening machine |
Country Status (6)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US3888069A (en) |
| JP (1) | JPS518090A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1041852A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE2523011C3 (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2299166A1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB1480026A (en) |
Families Citing this family (21)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4050222A (en) * | 1975-08-29 | 1977-09-27 | Stephens Industries, Inc. | Envelope opening apparatus |
| JPS5511735Y2 (en) * | 1977-05-10 | 1980-03-13 | ||
| JPS5419117U (en) * | 1977-07-09 | 1979-02-07 | ||
| JPS5422917U (en) * | 1977-07-15 | 1979-02-15 | ||
| JPS5722922Y2 (en) * | 1977-07-21 | 1982-05-18 | ||
| JPS5434522U (en) * | 1977-08-10 | 1979-03-07 | ||
| JPS5544534Y2 (en) * | 1977-10-03 | 1980-10-20 | ||
| JPS5463713U (en) * | 1977-10-09 | 1979-05-04 | ||
| JPS5554505Y2 (en) * | 1977-12-07 | 1980-12-17 | ||
| JPS5491307U (en) * | 1977-12-09 | 1979-06-28 | ||
| JPS54113294U (en) * | 1978-01-30 | 1979-08-09 | ||
| JPS5917293Y2 (en) * | 1978-04-14 | 1984-05-21 | 株式会社ダンロツプホ−ムプロダクツ | Rubber water pillow with removably attached permanent magnets |
| JPS5555748Y2 (en) * | 1978-05-24 | 1980-12-24 | ||
| JPS5934371Y2 (en) * | 1978-05-29 | 1984-09-22 | 株式会社ラッカサン | Core material for bedding, etc. with flexible magnetic material |
| JPS5628717A (en) * | 1979-08-17 | 1981-03-20 | Norikazu Harajiri | Bedding cloth of mat with magnet |
| JPS5683268U (en) * | 1979-11-30 | 1981-07-04 | ||
| US4356683A (en) * | 1980-03-31 | 1982-11-02 | Aes Technology Systems, Inc. | Method and apparatus for holding and conveying a batch of envelopes to facilitate the opening of the envelopes |
| US4356679A (en) * | 1980-03-31 | 1982-11-02 | Aes Technology Systems, Inc. | Apparatus for applying a degrading chemical to envelopes |
| US4356684A (en) * | 1980-03-31 | 1982-11-02 | Aes Technology Systems, Inc. | Batch method and apparatus for heating envelope edges to separate the envelope panels |
| NL9001237A (en) * | 1990-05-30 | 1991-12-16 | Hadewe Bv | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REMOVING CONTENT FROM AN ENVELOPE |
| US20070062163A1 (en) * | 2005-09-22 | 2007-03-22 | Longford International Ltd. | Inserter |
Family Cites Families (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3116718A (en) * | 1959-08-17 | 1964-01-07 | Thomas W Evans | Envelope opener and distribution apparatus |
| US3822523A (en) * | 1972-09-15 | 1974-07-09 | Kenco Corp | Envelope opening apparatus and method |
-
1974
- 1974-07-01 US US484368A patent/US3888069A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
-
1975
- 1975-05-08 CA CA226,524A patent/CA1041852A/en not_active Expired
- 1975-05-16 GB GB20989/75A patent/GB1480026A/en not_active Expired
- 1975-05-23 DE DE2523011A patent/DE2523011C3/en not_active Expired
- 1975-06-09 FR FR7517952A patent/FR2299166A1/en active Granted
- 1975-06-11 JP JP50069769A patent/JPS518090A/en active Granted
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| DE2523011A1 (en) | 1976-01-22 |
| JPS518090A (en) | 1976-01-22 |
| FR2299166B1 (en) | 1979-06-08 |
| FR2299166A1 (en) | 1976-08-27 |
| DE2523011B2 (en) | 1979-11-15 |
| JPS5220916B2 (en) | 1977-06-07 |
| GB1480026A (en) | 1977-07-20 |
| DE2523011C3 (en) | 1980-08-07 |
| US3888069A (en) | 1975-06-10 |
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