Ciba-geigy Corporation

Gretag Aktiengesellschaft

Milan Bizic

David L Davis

Charles T Higgins

An envelope feeder (20) for use in a photographic order-finishing station, including a base (22) to which a retaining plate (28) is mounted. A stack-holding tray (30) is biased toward the retaining plate to compress a stack (18) of envelopes placed therebetween for feeding. Suction heads (50) move arcuately to contact and grip the outermost envelope (36) on the stack by application of a partial vacuum, and the move back to peel and lift a portion of that envelope from the stack. A shuttle assembly (52) with a plurality of narrow shuttle fingers (108) is included for insertion between the partially lifted outermost envelope (36) and the underlying envelope (68) to split any adhesions formed between them and separate the outermost envelope from the stack. After insertion of the shuttle assembly, the suction heads release the envelope and latching tabs (114) mounted on the shuttle assembly rotate to project outwardly toward the retaining plate, engaging the outermost envelope so that it is removed from the stack as the shuttle assembly is retracted. The removed envelope is fed into an envelope receptacle (48) as it is removed from the stack.

Envelope feeder with separator shuttle assembly

A cassette housing for a roll of photographic strip materials, the housing consisting of two frontal plates with integrated bearing lugs for the wound strip material and a jacket, all of the parts being held together by a single axial threaded bolt with a pivoting handle and having a stationary guide plate and an axially moveable guide plate to effect the optimum alignment and guidance of the roll.

Growing community of inventors

Danikon, Switzerland

Milan Bizic