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:
Nov. 04, 2003
Filed:
Dec. 17, 2001
Barry W. Simkins, Essex, GB;
Peter Watson, Rayleigh, GB;
Pitney Bowes Inc., Stamford, CT (US);
Abstract
An unflapped envelope ( ) is fed, with its crease line trailing, along a path ( ) from an envelope feeder and between the rollers of a reversibly driveable roller pair ( ), for onward transfer to, for example, an insertion station. When the crease line reaches a predetermined point in front of the roller pair ( ), the drive is reversed and the envelope with the crease line leading directed along a flapper path, including a deflecting surface 46; to a flapping chamber or zone ( ), at least until the flap ( ) is engageable by a flapper blade ( ). The drive is then reversed again and the envelope driven back along the flapper path, a flap opening surface ( ) of a flapper blade ( ) or a pair of flapper blade elements ( ), causing the flap ( ) to be stripped from the body of the envelope ( ) as it exits the flapping zone, and proceeds to the insertion station.