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:
Sep. 29, 1998
Filed:
May. 03, 1993
Carl A Miller, Fairfield, CT (US);
Pitney Bowes Inc., Stamford, CT (US);
Abstract
An envelope is moved along a first path by a first pair of rollers, with the envelope oriented with its lower edge forward, the front panel next to the path, and the flap open. A second pair of rollers is positioned with its nip near the path for capturing the upper edge and flap of the envelope as it clears the first pair of rollers. Preferably the first and second pairs of rollers share a common central roller. A deflector deflects the leading edge of the envelope towards a resilient stop. The stop engages the leading edge of the envelope and urges it back towards the nip of the second pair of rollers. As the upper edge of the envelope clears the nip of the first pair of rollers the force supplied by the first pair of rollers is decoupled from the envelope and force applied by the resilient stop urges the upper edge and flap back towards the nip of the second pair of rollers, which engages the upper edge and folds and seals the flap against the rear panel of the envelope. The deflector is formed of a resilient sheet which deflects in response to contact with the leading edge of the envelope so that the rate at which the envelope is deflected is inversely proportional to the stiffness of the envelope and buckling of the envelope is avoided.