The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 10, 1997
Filed:
Jan. 11, 1996
Ghislain Simard, Valence, FR;
Jean-Michel Reboul, Saint Donat, FR;
Alcatel Postal Automation Systems, Gentilly Cedex, FR;
Abstract
The device comprises a conveyor (1) for displacing the envelope, in a displacement direction (D), along a path including a bend, and a member (12) disposed on the outside of the bend and downstream therefrom in said displacement direction, said member (12) cooperating with the conveyor (1) to cause the envelope to curve around the bend, and being movably mounted relative to the conveyor, so as to move a certain distance away from the conveyor depending on the thickness of the envelope and on its stiffness. A sensor (30) is provided to detect said certain distance minus the thickness of the envelope exceeding a predetermined threshold, thereby detecting that a hard object is present inside the envelope. The present invention applies to the processing of mail items.