CA1041388A - Envelope extractor that cuts through only one panel - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT

A table top extractor unit for removing contents from previously opened envelopes which have two panels connected along three side edges comprises a vacuum feed mechanism for sequentially feeding envelopes to a transport conveyor which advances each successive envelope into a cutter assembly. The cutter assembly severs one panel of the envelope from the other panel along opposite connected edges and simultaneously conveys the envelope to a vacuum separator drum located at the front end of the machine. The rotatable drum grips one panel of the envelope and carries the envelope past a stationary deflector or chute which enters between the envelope panels to cause the other panel to be folded back and into a trailing position relative to the one panel allowing the contents of the envelope to drop from juxta-position between the panels and travel down the chute. An envelope conveyor receives the emptied envelope from the separator drum and conveys it to a two-position gate mechanism which in one position directs the envelope to and along one discharge path which terminates at the rear of the extractor.
When the gate is in its other position, the emptied envelope is conveyed along another discharge path which terminates at the front end of the machine. A manual control is provided for moving the gate to its other position. A contents detection device associated with the envelope conveyor responds to the presence of envelope contents on the conveyor to move the gate to its other position.

Description

~134~81~ `:
EXTRACTOR
This invention relates in general to envelope pro-cessing machinery and deals more particularly with an improved extractor for removing contents from envelopes.
he large volume of business reply mail being handled today has created the need for automatic envelope processing machinery capable of processing large volumes of business reply ., . :
envelopes to rapidly remove and separate contents thereof. The general purpose of the present invent;on is to provide an im-proved compact machine or extractor of the aforedescribedgeneral type which remove~ and separates contents from envel-~; opes, w~ich pref~rably remain in one piece ater separation to minimize production of scrap, and which veriies that the , ~, oontents have been removed from each envelope before the envel-ope i9 conveyed by the machine to a waste receptacl~ or the ; like. It is a further aim of the invention to provide an ,~.
extractor capable of compensating for minor variations in the dimensions of standard envelopes, as for example, folding error~ which may have occurred during envelope manufacture so that such enevelope~ will not jam in the machine causing inter-;'..' ruption in production.
In accordance with ~he present invention, an improved .... .
~ extractor is provided for removing contents from generally .....
rectangular envblopes having two panels connected together ., .
along three side edges and open along a fourth side edge. The extractor comprises means for successively advancing envelopes ~1 along a predetermined path to a cutter assembly which cuts each envelope along lines of severance which extend from said fourth sid~ edge and across the envelope whereby to separate one . , ~ ,

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~413~38 envelope panel from the other along opposite connected edges to leave the contents thereof in juxtaposition between the panels. Separating means receives the severed envelope and its contents from the cutter assembly and grips and moves one panel in a direction generally away from the other of the panels and the contents of the envelope whereby to separate the contents from the severed envelope.
In the Drawinqs:
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Fig. 1 is a somewhat schematic side elevational view of an extractor embodying the present invention.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a typical opened - envelope of the type processed by the extrac~or of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a perspective botbom view of the envelope of Fig. 2 after it has been partially processed by the extrac-tor of Fig. 1.
; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the extractor of Fig.
1 as viewed from above-looking toward the left side o the machine.
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the extractor as 1 20 viewed from above looking toward the right side of the machine.
`~ Fig. 6 is another perspective view of the extractor : .
- as viewed from above looking toward the front o the machine.
j Fig. 7. is a somewhat enlarqed fragmentary sectionalview taken along the lines 7-7 of Fig. 1, and shown ~omewhat . ~ .
!~ schematically.
Fig. 8 is a fragmentary plan view of the extractor.
Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken generally along the lines 9-9 of Fig. 8. ~;
Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line ., I

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i38 10-10 of Fig. 9.
Figs. 11, 12 and 13 are fragmentary schematic views of the extractor and show the sequence of separating content_ from an envelope which has been cut by the extractor.
Fig. 14 i~ a somewhat enlarged fragmentary sectiona view taken along the line 14, 14 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 15 iq a fragmentary sectional view taXen along the line 151, 15 of Fig. 14.
Fig. 16 (shown on the seventh sheet of drawings) is a somewhat schematic view of the contents detection mechanism.
Turning now to the drawings, an extractor for removing contents from previouely opened envelopes and embodying the present invention iP illustrated and designated by the refer-ence num~,ral 10. The extractor 10 is particularly adapted to , .:
process sealec,, generally rectangular enve~opes which have been opened by a conventional envelop2 opening machine or the like -, which slits an envelope along one edge. A typical opened ;
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`~ envelope ready for processing by the extractor 10 is indicated j generally by the reEerence numeral 12 in Fig. 2. The envelopeL2 has two panels 14 and 16 connected together along three side edges 18, 18 and 20 and defining an opening 22 along the fourth i ~.
side edge of the envelope.
The illustrated extractor 10 is a table top unit and generally comprises an envelope magazine or input hopper desig-nated generally by the numeral 24 for containing a stack of opened envelopes 12, 12. The envelopes are individually with- -~, drawn in sequence from the hopper by a feed mechanism indicated `~; generally at 26 which transfers each successive envelope 12 to an envelope transport designated generally by the numeral 28.

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~e envelope transport 28 advances each envelope along a generally predetermined path 29 to a cutter assembly indicated generally at 30 which cuts the envelope inwardly of its oppo-site side edges 18, 18 to sever the connections between the panels 14 and 16 along the latter edges to leave the panel 16 connected to the panel 14 along only one long edge 20, as best shown in Fig. 3. Preferably, the cutter assembly is arranged to cut through only one of the panelsJ as for example, the panel 16 shown in Fig. 3, along lines of severance 32, 32 which extend across the latter panel. The cutter assembly 30 is pre-ferably further arranged to cut upwardly through the lower panel of each envelope as ît advances along the path 29 and it will be noted that the envelope 12, as it appears :in Fig. 3, has be~n cut in the aforede~cribed manner. A separating mach-anism indicated generally at 34 receives each severed envelope from the cutter assembly 30, grips and releasably holds the severed lower panels 16 and moves it in a direction away from the upper panel 14 and the envelope contents which is initially ~j disposed in juxtaposition between the two panels. A deflector or chute 38 at the ~ront of the extractor lO enters between ; and spreads the two panels as the envelope is advanced by the ; ~eparating mechanism to an envelope conveyor mechanism indicated generally at 40. The conveyor mechanism defines two envelopes discharge paths, one path terminating at the front and the other at the rear of the extractor 10. A two-position gate :
mechanism indicated generally at 42 cooperates with the con-veyor mechanism to determine the path along which each severed, emptied envelope travels to a discharge point. Thus, when the gate mechanism is in one position, emptied envelopes are dis-, ~

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charged at the rear of the extractor whereas when the gate isin its other positionJ emptied envelopes are ejected from the front of the machine and toward the machine operator. The position of the ga-te may be manually controlled by an operator or, if desired, an automatic detection device such as indicated ::
generally at 44 may be provided for moving the gate 42 from on~ to the other of its positions in response to malfunction of the appa~atus, as will be hereinafter further described.
i Considering now the extractor 10 in further ~etail, , it has a frame indicated generally at 46 which includes right -j and left side members 48 and 50 connected in transversely ; spaced relation by a plurality of tie rods and an acceleration ~ : .
plate 52 which extends therebetween and as best shown in Fig.
.. .. .
8. The plate 52 i8 inclined in a forward and upward direction ~ and has an upward facing envelope supporting surface which ''~A defines a portion of the path 29. The hopper 24 is supported generally above the plate 52 and comprises a pair of elongated rear support members 54J ~4 which generally define the rear of ~i~ the hopper. Each support member 54 carries a side rail 56 . .J
J 20 which defines an associated side of the hopper as best shown ; in Figs. 4 and 5. The rear ~upport members S4J 54 are slidably ~ received on a tie rod 58 and further supported on the frame by . .j , ' an adjustment screw 60 which has right and left hand threaded ''t portions each of which respectively threadably engages an .:, . .
'~'! associated one of the rear æupport members 54J 54. The end ;~ portions of the adjustment screw are respectively journalled on the frame members 48 and 50. A crank 62 mounted on the right-hand end of the adjustment screw 60 is opsrable to move 1 the support members 54, 54 transversely of the frame and ' .' ;i ' ' :

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generally toward and away from each other to adjust the width of the hopper 24 to accommodate var,ious si~es of envelopes.
Referring now particularly to Figs. 1, 7 and 8, the '', feed mechanism 26, shown somewhat schematically, comprises a ~' pair of vacuum p:ickexs 64, 64 supported below the plate 52 for reciprocal movement through apertures in the plate, as shown ~,-, in Fig. 8, and generally toward and away from the hopper 24 .. betwe2n an envelope pick-up position indicated by full lines and an envelope release positio~ shown in broken lines in Fig.
' 10 7. The pickers 64, 64 are driven by a pair of cam~ 66, 66 ,-,~ mounted on a cam shaft 68 which is journalled on the side ~3l members 48 and 50 and extends therebetween. Another cam 7~.
mounted on the cam shaft 68 operates a control valve 71 con-~ nected in series between section pads carried by the pickers ''' 64~ 64 and a vacuum pump indicated by the numeral 72 and " j mounted on the frame 46. The envelope transport 28 generally ,:~ comprises an accelerator or pusher mechanism which includes a ',;'ll p~hurality of transversely spaced pusher fingers 74, 74 mounted '~ on a sliding pin carrier and received in slots formed in the ~ 20 pla~e 52. Another cam 76 mounted on the cam shaft 68 coop- ~:

:.:,, erates with a foLlower lever 78 mounted on ia rocker shaft 80 ;l to rock another lever 81 connected between the shaft 80 and ~ the pin carrier to impart reciprocal movement to the pusher `~ fingers 74, 74 generally toward and away from the cutter as-',"''~A sembly 30. ~ ~' ',.,,:1 ::~ The cutter assembly 30 generally comprises a pair of , cutter units which includes right and left hand units 82 and ' ',,:, 82' mounted in transversely spaced relation on the frame to .~ respectlvely engage and cut the opposite side edges 18, 18 ~, of each envelope 12 as it advances along the path 29.
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Referring particularly to Figs. 8~ 9 and 10, a typical cutter ~ ;~
unit 82 includes a cutter frame 84 supported for transverse movement relative to the extractor frame 46 by a pair of tie ~i rods 81 and 83 connected between the side members 48 and 50.
The cutter frame 84 has a cutter shaft 86 journalled therein which carries a cutter wheel 88 at its inner end. The shaft , 86 also has a lower feed roller 90, made from rubber or like material, mounted at its inner end inward of the cutter wheel :, 88. An adjustable anvil block 92 slidably received in an up-~`: 10 wardly extending slot in the frame 84 has an anvil shaft ~4 ,~ journalled therein parallel to the shaft 86. At its inner ~¦ end, the anvil shaft 94 carries an anvil w~eel 96 spaced slight-ly above the cutter wheel 88 and arranged to cOQperate with the cutter wheel to define a nip. An upper eed roller 90' mounted on the inner end of the anvil shaft 94 cooperates with the lower ' !j :
i, feed roller 90. The anvil block 92 is biased downwardly by a compression spring 97 which acts between the anvil block 92 ~j and the cutter frame 84. An adjustment screw 99 passes down-ward through the cutter frame 84 and threadably engages the ;
~ 20 anvil block 92 to facilitate adjustment of the space between ~' ., ' the anvil wheel and the cutter wheel. Intermeshing gears g8 and 100 mounted on the outer ends of the shafts 86 and 94 drive ~ the latter shafts in opposite directions. Each cutter unit 82, ;, 82 iS driven by an associated hubless gear 102 carried by a :. drive shaft 104 journalled on the retractor frame 46. Each ' ' .
~ gear 102 is arranged for axial sliding movement along its drive .. ~ , ... ....
~ shaft 104 in driving engagement therewith. Each cutter unit -: ~
;l 82~ 82' has a gear retaining bracket 105 mounted on its frame ' 84 to maintain its associated drive gear 102 in driving engage-. ~ ri ' i : 1 "
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ment with the gear 98 mounted on its cutter shaft. A cutter adjustment screw 106 extends transversely of the extractor frame and has right and left-hand threaded portions respec-tively threadably engaging the right and left hand cutter units 82, 8~ crank 107 mounted on the left~hand end of the adjustment screw 106 may be employed to simultaneously move the cutter units 82, 82' toward or away from each other to adjust the extractor 10 to accommodate envelopes of varying lengths. Each cutter units 82, 82' carries an envelope edge ;~ 10 guide 108 for engaging an associated envelope side~edge 18 as the enve}ope is advanced into the cutter assembly 30 by the envelope transport 28. Each edge guide is arranged for trans-verse adjustment relative to its associated cutter unit 82, 82'.
, Another plate 110 d:i.sposed between the cutter units 82, 82' ., forms an extension of the acce}erator plate 52 to further de-fine the envelope path 29. The latter plate is arranged to pivot upward in the manner of a trap door to facilitate ready ', access to the cutter wheels and lower drive rolls.
The separating mechanism 34 generally comprises a ~ 20 hollow cylindrical vacuum drum 112 supported at one end or ;l rotation by a stub drive shaft 114 which extends through the right-hand side member 48 and carries a drive sprocket 116 at , its outer end. The left-hand end of the drum 36 is supported 1 by a journal block 118 mounted on the left-hand frame member ~ 50. The block 118 has a passageway 120 which extends coaxially i~ therethrough to communicate with the interior of the drum 112 and with vacuum ports 122, 122 which open through the peri-pheral surface of the drum. The drum 112 also has a pair of , axially spaced apart annular grooves la4, 124 which open out~
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wardly through its peripheral surface. A flexible air conduit 126 connects the passageway 120 to a blower 127 mounted at the rear of the frame 46 for drawing a vacuum on the drum 112.
The separator mechanism 34 further includes the drum follower 128 which comprises a follower block 130 supported for sliding movement transversely of saicl drum 112 by a tie ... .
rod 131 which extends across the front of the frame~ 46J as best shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The drum follower carries a pair of endless belts 132, 132 mounted on pulleys journalled on the foll~wer block 130 at opposite sides thereo. The belts 132, 132 are arranged ko engage an associated portion of the peri-'~ pheral surface of the drum 112 near the forward terminal end of the plate 110. A pair of strippers 133, 133, mounted in ; fixed position on another tie rod supported on the frame 46 - ' generally below the drum 112 have free end portions which ex- ;
tend upward and into the annular grooves 124~ 124 as best , shown in Figs. 6 and 10-12.
, The chute 38 is mounted on the front end of the frame ~l 46 to pivot between active and inactive positions, respectively `l 20 shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The chute is pivoted at its lower end and in its active position, Fig. 5, the upper end of the chute rests on a tie rod 135 near the drum 112 so that the upper end ~;~! of the chute is disposed in close proximity to the peripheral :! surface of the drum. The chute is inclined in a forward and downward direction in generally tangential relation to the drum 112. The chute may be pivoted to its inactive positionJ as it j appears in Fig. 6~ to permit ready access to mechanisms located therebehind.
.. I .
' The envelope conveying mechanism 40J which receives 1~4~88 each envelope advanced by the separator drum 112 preferably comprises thxee endless belt conveyors respectively indicated at 134, 136 and 138 and best shown in Fig. 1. Each of tile conveyors includes a set of transversely spaced endless belts carried by pulleys moun-ted on shafts which are journalled on the side members 48 and 50 and extend therebetween. The con-veyor 134 is supported on pulleys carried by shafts 140 and 142 and defines a generally horizontal path which extends from the front to the rear of the extractor 10. The conveyorrl36J

; ! , arranged in driving engagement with the conveyor 134, is sup-ported by shafts 146, 148, 150 and 152. The shaf-t 146 com-prises a drive shaft and has a drive pulley 144 mounted at `~ its left-hand end. The conveyor 138 has a generally trianyu-, lar configuration as viewed in Fig. 1~ is supported by shafts ''. .1 ,',i 154~ 156 and 158J and runs in d~iven engagement with an asso-ciated portion of the conveyor 136~ substantially as shownJ ~ ;
, Thus, the drive shaft 146 comprises a common drive for the three belt conveyors which make up the conveyor system 40.
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` Each of the latter conveyors has a pair of belt tensioners mounted at opposite ends of an associated one of its shafts.
A pair of typical belt tensioners associated with the shaft . 154 are indicated at 160, 160 in Fig. 6. It will be further noted that the shafts 146 and 158 respectively carry a pair of pinch rolls 162 and 164 which run in peripheral engagement.
Another pinch roll 166 carried by a shaft 154 runs in peripheral engagement with an associated portion of the drum 112.
~ The extractor 10 is preferably driven by a variable ,~ speed DC motor 168 which drives a sprocket 170 at the left hand ~ side of the extractor as shown in Figs. 4 and 6. A chain 172 .: .. . .
~' connects the sprocket 170, the ~onveyor drive sprocket 144 and :- J
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~()41;~8~3 another sprocket 174 carried by a shaft 176 which extends -transversely of the frame 46. The opposite end of the shaft 176 is connected through an electric clutch 178 to another - ?
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drive sprocket 180 a-t the right hand side of the machine, best shown in Fig. 5. A chain 182 driven by the sprocket 180 is :'' drivingly connected to the cam shaft 68, the cutter drive shaft ~ .
`~ L04 and the drum 112 through associate~ sprockets. ThusJ the feed mechanism 26, the envelope transport 28, the cutter as-sembly 30, the separating mechanism 34 and the conveyor mech-anism 40 are driven in timed relation with each other. Another motor 184 mounted at the fro~t of the machine, as best shown . i j in Fig. 9, drives a belt 186 at the right hand side o~ the ~ machine which runs over an idler pulley 188 and drives the ,:
blower 127.
j The gate mechanism 42 includes a gate rocket shaft -~ 194 located at the front of the machine orward of the conveyor ;
~; shaft 146, as best shown in Fig. 1. A plurality of gate mem- ~
. :, ., bers 196, 196 are mounted in axially spaced series along the shaft 194. Each of the gates has an arcuate concave surface .':' ;1 ' ~ . ' 198 facing in the direction of the conveyor 136 and generally complementing the forward end of the latter conveyor. Each gate member also includes a generally upwardly facing surface 200. The gate members 196, 196 are arranged to rock with the ;;
shaft 194 between a first or full line position and a second `¦ position indicated in broken lines in Figs. 1 and 16. A
torsion spring 202, which surrounds the right-hand end of the shaft 194J acts between a collar on the shaft and the side .~ , `j member 48 to bias each gate member 1~, to its first position.
:, A solenoid, 204, mounted on the side member 48 acts upon a :~$
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1(~4~8~3 lever 206 mounted on the gate rocket shaft to move the gate mechanism to its second position. A manually operated recall buttom 208 is provided for energizing the gate solenoid 204, however, the solenoid 204 may also be operated by the detec-tion device 44.
Considering now the automatic recall or contents detection devioe 44 in further detail ancl referring particu-larly to Figs. 14-16, the detection device 44 is disposed in the path of envelope travel between the separating mechanism 34 and the yate mechanism 42. Preferably, and as shown/ it is mountèd in a fixed position relative to the common belt ; runs of the conveyor 136 and 138 and in the space hetween the transversely spaced belts which comprise the latter conveyors substantially as shown. The illustrated detection device , :
comprises two sensing elements indicated generally at 210, 210.
Each sensing element includes a photocell 212 and an opposing light source or light emitting diode 214 located in the take-away path of enevelopes, after extraction. The sensing ele-ments 210, 210 are spaced apart in the direction of envelope travel and each is arranged to respond to a predetermined con-dition of an envelope as, for example~ the amount of infrared energy which passes through a single thickness of the paper which comprises the main portion of an opened, emptied envel-ope. When two thicknesses of paper are encountered as, for example, when an envelope secmor a document passes one sPnsing element 210 the change in the amount of energy received by the photocell 212 thereof is sufficient to trigger an associated circuit. The information imparted by the triggered circuit is trans~itted to a logic circuit which determines if both photo-: : , , ................... .: . ,: ,. . .: . .
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1¢~41;~88 cells 212, 212 are simultaneously blocked. The sensing ele-ments 210, 210 are so spaced along the envelope path that both elements will not be simultaneously blocked by the passage of an envelope seam, however, simultaneous blockage of both sensing elements 210, 210 will indicate presence of a docu- .
ment or other undesirable material which may comprise the contents of the opened envelope. Th~ gate solenoid operates ,. i ~ in response to detection of a desired predetermined condition --~ by the detection device to divert the envelope and document or ~ 10 the like to and along the second conveyor path where it is ejected at the front end of the machine. A logic circuit for `i~ accomplishing the aforedescribed purpose i9 illustrated some- : :

¦ what schematically in Fig. 16 where the two sensing devices .~ ', ':
~:~ are shown connected to the inputs of a NOR gate 216. The NOR :~ ~
`.~ gate output is connected in series with an inverter 218, an :
amplifier 220 and the conveyor gate solenoid 204. Simultane~
ous detectio.n of a desired predetermined condition by both .
sensing devices, as for example, the presence of two thi~k- .. ~:~
.~ nesses of paper which simultaneously blocks both sensing ele-~l 20 ments 210, 210 will cause the conveyor gate solenoid 204 to be , .
.~: activated whereby to recall the envelope or eject it at the :~.

;i front of the machine and toward the operator. Preferably,. ~ .
... . .
. drive mechanism which operates the envelope transport, the -.. cutter assembly, and the separating mechanism is disabled, as : ~ .
. l .:
I by de-energizing the electric clutch 178, each time the gate ~:.

. solenoid 204 is operated, either manually or in response to ` . -`1 .. ~ the automatic recall device 44. .

i.~ The illustrated clutch circuit includes a timer 222 :: ,j :~ for disengaging the clutch to stop the separating mechanism ' :i ,r ~
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, .. . . , . -~6341388 at a predetermined position, wherein an envelope carried thereby is approaching its contents extracting position each time the conveyor gate solenoid 204 is operated.
After envelopes 12, 12 of a generally predetermined size have been opened along one long sidle edge thereof, as, for exampleJ by slitting on a conventional envelope opening machine or the LiXe, the envelopes are stacked into the input . ~., ~` hopper 24 with the open edges thereof facing toward the front of the extractor 10. The hopper is then adjusted, as neces-sary, by operating the crank 62 to bring the side rails 56, 56 thereof into light contact with opposite side edge~ 18, 18 , ........................................................................ .
of the envelopes 12~ 12. The rearwardly inclined arrangement ;j of the hopper prevents coins or other loose contents from ~alling from the envelopes. A single envelope 12 is withdrawn from the hopper by the vacuum pickers 64, 84 which deposit the envelope on the acceleration plate 52 whereupon picker vacuum is cut-off by the valve 71 The transport device 28 then oper-, ~ .
ates to advance the envelope along the path 29 to the cutter assembly 30. As the envelope is advanced, the pusher fingers 74, 74 square the envelope or align it with its longitudinal axis generally normal to its path of advance. The edge guides 108, 108 which have been adjusted to touch each side edge 18 of the advancing envelope to laterally align the envelope and :
guide each of its ends into the nip ~etween a pair of upper ~ and lower feed rolls ~0, 90'. The edge guides 108~ 108 are j adjusted to accommodate an envelope of standard length there-between and control the distance from each envelope edge 18 to an associated cutter wheel 88. The distance inwardly from ~, each side edge 18 to an associated line of severance is '',;

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established by adjusting the edge guides 108, 108 and once the edge guides have been adjusted this distance cannot in-crease even though the le~igth of the envelopes may vary. If a slightly longer than standard envelope is fed into the cutter assembly, the envelope will be bowed upwardly at its center as ;
it is advanced through the cutter assembly by the feed rolls.
If, however, the length of the envelope is substantially greater than standard, the envelope will be halted by engage-" . , .
ment with the edge guides 108, 108 and will not pass into the cutter assembly.

~: As each envelope 12 passes through the cutter assem-

3 bly 30, the cutter wheels 88, 88 cut upwardly through only the ;~

Lower envelope pane.L 16 due to the spacing between each cutter wheel 88 and its associated anvil wheel. The depth of each ,, .
cut is determined by adjusting each cutter adjustment screw 99, ~ so that each cutter wheel 88 cuts through all but one thickness ....~
of envelope material~. Thus, the lower or back panel 16 of the envelope 12 is separated from its upper panel along its connec- ~ ;
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~-¦ ted edges 18, 18 or more specifically along the lines of sev-erance 32, 32 without trimming or removing material from the envelope. The cut i5 made on the down or lower side of the :, .
~ envelope to provide a lower cut-off panel in the envelope which -~ is of substantially only one thickness and has a less resist-l~ ance to flexure than the upper panel which includes small un-3''.. 1 .
cut portions at its opposite edges 18, 18. Thius, the lower ;~

~ panel more readily adapts to follow the cont0ur of the sepa-i3 rator drum 112. The æevered envelope advanced by the cutting assembly 30 enters the nip between the saparator drum 112 and the drum follower 128. As the envelope 12 leaves the cutter . ., ~; ~
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3~313 assembly it is timed so that the leading edge of its lower or back panel 16 ovierlies the vacuum ports 1~2, 122 which hold the panel down tightly against the peripheral surace of the drum. ~he drum follower 128 causes the somewhat stiffer upper panel 14 and the envelope contents to follow a portion of the - peripheral surface of the drum. Referring now to Figs. 11-13, it will be noted that as the envelope and its contents, indi-cated at C, leave the nip between the drum follower 128 and the drum 122 the contents C and the upper panel 14 tend to follow a tangential path relative to the drum 112. As the drum continues to rotate in a clockwise direction, as it appears in Figs. 11-13, the upper end of the chute 3~ enters the space between the two panels 14 and 16 below the contents C and catches the contents to dlrect it away from the emptied envelope which then follows the path of the drum 112. The upper end of the chute 38 acts to plow or fald the upper panel 14 toward a trailing position relative to the lower panel 16.
As the drum 112 continues to rotate, the leading edge of the panel 16 is drawn into the nip between the pinch roll and the drum and is xemoved from the drum by the strippers 133, 133 which guide it along a generally tangential path relative to ;, the drum and into the envelope conveyor system 40. The envel-ope 12 is conveyed through the document detection device 44 - and if no document or contents is detected, the gate mechanism 42 remains in its first position so that the leading edge of ~I the emptied envelope engages the arcuate surfaces 198, 198 on the gate members 194, 194 which divert the envelope along the common run between the conveyors 134 and 136 to a discharge point at the rear of the machine and into a trash container "

~J41388 or the like (not sho~n). However, i~ the detection device 44 detects the presence of a document the logic circuit afore-described operates the conveyor gate mechanism 42 to shift the gate mechani~,m to its second or full line position as it appears in Fig. ].. In the latter position of the gate, the surfaces 200, 200 of the various gate members 196, 195 are aligned with the common run between the conveyors 138 and 136 so that the envelope and its contents are ejected from the . ,.j . .
front of the machine below the chute 38 and toward the opera- ~.
.,. . . ~ , , `- 10 tor. The extractor operator may also recall any desired envelope by operating the recall buttom 208 which energizes , the solenoid 204 to change the position of the gate mechanism ; 4Z.
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Claims (26)

The embodiment of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An extractor for removing contents from a gener-ally rectangular envelope having two panels connected together along three side edges and having an opening along a fourth side edge therof, the extractor having envelope transport means for advancing an envelope along a predetermined path, severing means disposed along said path to engage the advancing envelope for cutting it inwardly of its opposite side edges to sever the connections between the panels thereof along the opposite side edges thereof leaving one panel connected to the other panel along one side edge opposite its fourth side edge and the con-tents of the envelope juxtaposition between the two panels, separating means disposed to receive the severed envelope and its contents from said severing means for engaging and releas-ably holding one of the panels and moving it in a direction away from the other of the panels and away from the contents, the improvement wherein said severing means comprises a pair of ro-tary cutting units disposed at transversely opposite sides of said path for cutting through only one panel of the envelope and along lines of severance extending across the one panel from its fourth side edge to one side edge of the one panel opposite the fourth side edge, each of said rotary cutter units including a cutter wheel supported for rotation about an axis extending transversely of said path and an anvil wheel supported for rota-tion about an axis parallel to the axis of said cutter wheel and having its peripheral surface spaced from the peripheral edge of said cutter wheel, said anvil wheel and its associated cutter wheel defining a nip therebetween.

2. An extractor as set forth in claim 1 including means for directing the contents away from the severed envelope carried by the separating means whereby to separate the contents from the severed envelope.

3. An extractor as set forth in claim 1 including a pair of transversely opposed envelope edge guides releasably secured in fixed position along said path for engaging the con-nected opposite side edges of the envelope to guide it into cut-ting engagement with the cutter wheels as the envelope is ad-vanced along said path by said transport means, each of said edge guides being adjustable in a transverse direction.

4. An extractor as set forth in claim 1 wherein said transport means includes means defining an envelope support sur-face, each said cutter wheel is journalled for rotation about an axis below said support surface, and each said anvil wheel is journalled for rotation about an axis above said support surface.

5. An extractor as set forth in claim 1 wherein said cutting mechanism includes means for adjustably positioning each anvil wheel relative to its associated cutter wheel to vary the spac-ing therebetween.

6. An extractor as set forth in claim 5 wherein said means for adjustably positioning each anvil wheel includes means for biasing each anvil wheel toward its associated cutter wheel.

7. An extractor as set forth in claim 1 wherein said severing means comprises a portion of said envelope transport means.

8. An extractor as set forth in claim 1 wherein said separating means comprises a separator drum journalled for ro-tation about an axis extending generally transversely of said path having at least one vacuum port opening through the peri-pheral surface thereof and a drum follower for maintaining the envelope received by said separator drum in engagement with an associated portion of the peripheral surface of said drum as the envelope is advanced by said drum.

9. An extractor as set forth in claim 8 wherein said drum follower comprises an endless belt.

10. An extractor as set forth in claim 1 including conveying means for receiving the severed envelope from said separating means and conveying it in a direction away from its contents, said conveying means defining a first path terminat-ing at one location and a second path terminating at another location, a conveyor gate movable between first and second positions relative to said conveying means, said conveyor gate in its first position cooperating with said conveying means to divert each envelope carried thereby to and along said first path, said conveyor gate in its second position cooperating with said conveying means to divert each envelope carried thereby to and along its second path, and means for moving said conveyor gate from one to the other of its positions.

11. An extractor as set forth in claim 10 including deflecting means disposed to receive contents from said separat-ing means.

12. An extractor as set forth in claim 11 wherein said deflecting means comprises a plate mounted in fixed position re-lative to said separating means.

13. An extractor as set forth in claim 12 wherein said separating means comprises a generally cylindrical separator drum and said plate comprises a chute arranged in generally tangential relation to said separator drum.

14. An extractor as set forth in claim 10 wherein said conveying means comprises a plurality of endless belt conveyors.

15. An extractor as set forth in claim 10 wherein said gate is biased to one of its positions and said gate mov-ing means comprises means for moving said gate from its one to its other position.

16. An extractor as set forth in claim 10 wherein said gate moving means comprises manually operably means.

17. An extractor as set forth in claim 10 including first drive means for driving said envelope transport means, said severing means and said separating means, second drive means for driving said conveying means, and means for disabling said first drive means in response to operation of said gate moving means.

18. An extractor as set forth in claim 10 wherein said means for moving said gate comprises detecting means moun-ted in fixed position relative to said conveying means between said separating means and said conveyor gate and responsive to a predetermined condition of an envelope advanced by said con-veying means.

19. An extractor as set forth in claim 18 wherein said detecting means comprises a plurality of sensing devices mounted in spaced relation along the path of said conveying means, each of said sensing devices being responsive to said predetermined condition, and means for moving said gate in re-sponse to simultaneous response of said sensing devices to said predetermined condition.

20. An extractor as set forth in claim 19 wherein said sensing devices comprise photo-electric sensing means re-sponsive to thickness of material associated with the envelope and said means for moving said gate includes a logic circuit.

21. An extractor as set forth in claim 18 including first drive means for driving said envelope transport means, said severing means, and said separating means, second drive means for driving said conveying means, and means for disabling said first drive means in response to operation of said gate moving means.

22. An extractor as set forth in claim 21 wherein said disabling means comprises means for disabling said first drive means to stop said separating means at a predetermined position.

23. An extractor as set forth in claim 22 wherein said disabling means comprises a clutch operably connected to said first drive means and operably in response to operation of said gate moving means.

24. In an extractor for removing contents from a generally rectangular envelope having two panels connected to-gether along three side edges and having an opening along a fourth side edge thereof, the extractor having envelope trans-port means for advancing an envelope along a predetermined path, severing means disposed along said path to engage the advancing envelope for cutting it inwardly of its opposite side edges to sever the connections between the panels thereof along the op-posite side edges thereof leaving one panel connected to the other panel along one side edge opposite its fourth side edge and the contents of the envelope in juxtaposition between the two panels, separating means disposed to receive the severed envelope and its contents from said severing means for engaging and re-leasably holding one of the panels and moving it in a direction away from the other of the panels and away from the contents, the improvement wherein said transport means includes an envelope supporting surface defining a portion of said path and said sev-ering means comprises a cutting mechanism for cutting through only one panel of the envelope and along lines of severance ex-tending across the one panel from its fourth side edge to one side edge of the one panel opposite the fourth side edge and including a pair of rotary cutter units disposed at transversely opposite sides of said supporting surface, each of said cutter units including a cutter frame, a cutter wheel journalled on said cutter frame for rotation about a transversely extending axis below said supporting surface, an anvil block supported on said cutter frame for movement relative thereto, a generally cylindrical anvil wheel journalled on said anvil block above said supporting surface for rotation about a transversely ex-tending axis, said anvil wheel and said cutter wheel generally defining a nip therebetween, and means for adjustably positioning said anvil block relative to said cutter frame to vary the nip between said cutter wheel and said anvil wheel, means supporting said cutter units for transverse movement toward and away from each other and relative to said supporting surface, and means for simultaneously moving said cutter units in a transverse direction toward and way from each other.

25. An extractor as set forth in claim 24 wherein each of said cutter units includes a pair of feed rolls, one of said feed rolls being journalled coaxially adjacent said cutter wheel, the other of said feed rolls being journalled coaxially adjacent said anvil wheel, said feed rolls generally defining a nip therebetween.

26. An extractor as set forth in claim 24 wherein said extractor includes a tie rod extending transversely of the extrac-tor frame, each of the cutter frames is slidably received on said tie rod, and said means for moving said cutter units comprises at transversely extending screw threadably engaging said cutter frames.