Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This application is related to my Canadian Patent
No. 1,072,835, dated March ~ 1980.
Envelope processing machines which will either slit open
one eclge of a stack of envelopes or accept a stack of opened
envelopes and then serially deliver or present the envelopes
to a work station in the machine for manual removal of the
contents of the envelopes are known in the art. Generally
such machines are operated ~y electric motors under the con-
trol of various switches. Some have switches that permit se-
lection of an automatic mode of operation in which the serial
presentation of the envelopes to the work station occurs in a
predetermined automatically repeating pattern of presentation
involving a rapid movement of each envelope to the work sta-
tion followed by a holding of the envelope open for a certain
period of time to permit a person to remove the contents of
the envelope. Some machines also have foot switches that per- ;
mit a person seated at the machine to operate the foot switch
each time the person wants an envelope delivered to the work
station. A disadvantage of the automatic mode is that it re-
quires a person to work on each presented envelope in the
predetermined alloted time. No matter what the allotted pre-
determined time interval is, on some occasions it is too long
and on others it is too short. A disadvantage of the foot
switch is that it requires a person to coordinate hand and
foot movements in the operation of the machine.
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STATEMENT OF INVE~TION
In a machine for handling envelopes including means
to serially present envelopes to a work station in the ma-
chine for removal of the contents of each envelope when
each envelope is in said work station by the hand of a
person at said work station, control means is provided in
said machine operating responsive to an envelope contents
removal position of the hand of a person in said work sta-
tion, including sensing means for sensing the hand of a
person in said work station, said control means comprising
a first means operating responsive to ~he removal of said ~
hand from said envelope contents removal position for par- -
tially completing a circuit for controlling the operation
of said means to present an envelope to said work station, `
a second means operating from a rastored condition after
a predetermined period of time for completing said cîrcuit -~
to thereby activate said presenting means and present an-
other envelope to said work station and a third means opera- .
ting responsive to the rein~ertion of said hand in said en- ~ :
velope contents removal pssition in said work station prior
to the passage of said predetermined period of time for
restoring said second means to said restored condition without
activating said presenting means.
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SU~lMARY OF Tl-IE INVENTION
As opposed to the known prior art machines, the subject
apparatus is essentlally controlled by the hand oE a person
repeatedly removing the contents oE the envelopes.
The apparatus preferably includes an adjustable time
delay circuit permitting a person to select just how quickly
after he has removed the contents of an envelope that the removed
contents envelope will be moved from the work station wi~h the next
envelope being moved into the work station.
The time delay feature advantageously permits a person
to view the interior of the removed contents envelope before it
is moved out of the work station and, if some of the contents were
not removed, the person may move his hand again into the envelope
and thereby continue to hold the envelope at the work station.
As the person again removes his hand, the time delay cycle is
repeated before the envelope is moved out of the work station with
the next envelope being advanced therein.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is an isometric view of a certain envelope
processing machine including one embodiment of the present
invention;
Figure 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken
substantially along the line 2-2 of Figure 1 and showing
the hand of a person removing the contents of a presented
envelope in the machine; and
Figure 3 is an electrical circuit diagram for one
embodiment of the invention applied to the certain en-
velope processing machine of Figure 1.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIME~TS
The certain envelope processing machine of Fig. 1 to
which the present invention is applied is shown and described
in substantial detail in my Canadian patent No. 1,072,835,
dated March ~, 1980. In order to concisely describe the pre-
sent invention a minimum o~ the machine o my said patent is
shown and described herein, and re~erence to that patent is
made for a complete understanding of an envelope processing
machine to which the present invention is applied in a pre-
ferred em~odiment. Further, to permit easy reference to thedrawings and description o~ my said patent, the same elem~nts
which are shown herein carry the same re~erence numerals by
which those parts are identi~ied in my said patent. ;
As shown in Fig. 1, the envelope processing machine com-
prises lower and upper offset table structures 10 and 12 sup-
ported at table height by legs 14. The internal mechanisms
o~ the machine are essentially contained within the table
structures 10 and 12. The person operating the machine sits
~acing the lower table structure 10~ the front panel o~ the
machine being indicated by the re~erence numeral 16.
The machine ~urther includes an envelope supply
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hopper indicated generally by the numeral 18, and the
operator control panel for the machine is shown at 20.
The supply hopper 18 includes a number of envel-
opes 24 from which the operator will manually remove the
contents during operation of the machine. l`he envelopes
are aligned in a row against the forward edge of the
hopper 18 and are maintained in that position by chains
26 and 28. Side abutment plate 23 aids in aligning the
envelopes 24 in the hopper 18. The chains 26 and 28 are
driven by a motor ~not shown) to urge the envelopes 24
toward the forward edge of the hopper 18. A limit switch
having a switch arm 36 controls the operation of the
motor for the chains 26 and 28 to move the supply of
envelopes forwardly as leading envelopes are removed from
the hopper 18. ~. -
The leading envelope of the supply of envelopes 24
is removed from the hopper 18 by a pivoting suction arm
52. When the suction arm 52 is operated, the leading
envelope is removed from the hopper 18 and the arm 52
moves on an arc downwardly toward the surface of the table
10. Upon reaching the table 10, the arm 52 releases the
envelope and deposits it onto belts such as belts 90 and
96 for carrying of the envelope t~o the work station 144.
In an embodiment of the invention of my noted copending
application, the arm 52 does not deposit the envelopes
directly onto the belts 90 and 96, but onto other belts
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which are behind the control panel 20 for slitting of one
edge of sealed envelopes prior to delivery to the belts 90
and 96. However, for an understanding of the present inven-
tion it is not necessary that a cutting or slitting mechanism
be described since pre-slit envelopes can be placed in the
hopper 18 and the belts 90 and 96 can extend into enveLope
receiving relation with the a~m 52 behind the control
panel 20. When such pre-slit envelopes are placed in the
hopper 18, the slit edges of the en~elopes should be aligned
upwardly.
Upon receiving an envelope 24, the machine moves the
belts 90 and 96 to carry the envelope to the work station
144, and then stops the belts 90 and 96 with the envelope
at the work station 144. The machine then moves the pivoting
lS suction arms 154 and 178 against the opposed sides of the
enveLope, and a vacuum is drawn at the suction cups 156 and
L64, indicated in Fig. 2, of the arms 154 and 178~ The
machine then moves the arms 154 and 178 upwardly and apart
to open the envelope for removal of the con~ents thereof by
the hand of a person as shown in Fig. 2.
As further shown in Fig. 2, and as described in detail
in my noted patent, the arm 154 is carried by crank 151 which
is pivotally mounted on shaft 152. Crank lSl is pivoted by
rod 148 between its lowermost envelope grasping position and
its uppermost envelope
-- 8
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opening position. Arm 178 is carried on a crank 174
which is also pivotally mounted at shaft L52~ Crank L74
is pivo~ed by rod L72 between its lowermost envelope
grasping position and its uppermost envelope opening posi-
tion.
As further shown in Fig. 1, and as described in detail
in my noted patent, the machine further may include an
envelope hold-down roller 100, and a candLing mechanism 213
for candling envelopes for missed contents as they leave the
work station 144 on the belts 90 and 96. The control panel
20 is shown as including a main on or of switch 220, a
manual or automatic mode selector switch 222, a timer control
22~ for adjusting the time of each complete cycle in the
automatic mode, a cycle counter 226, an on or off switch 252
for the candling mechanism 213, and adjusting controls 256
and 260 for the candling mechanism 213. The machine further
in~ludes a foot switch 223 by which the operator can selec-
tively cycle the machine with her foot. With the present in-
vention included and forming a part of the machine, the
control panel 20 further includes an on or off switch 300, and
an adjustment control 301 for adjusting the length of the
time period between withdrawal of the operator's hand from
adjacent an envelope 24 in the work station 144 and the oper-
ation of the machine on another cycle ~o deliver another en-
velope 24 to the work station 1440
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The operation of the machine, without the hand
control which will be described hereinafter, may occur
by two modes, manual or automatic, In the manual mode,
the foot switch 223 is momentarily operated, That oper-
ation causes the arm 52 to deposit an envelope 24 uponthe belts 90 and 96~ and the belts 90 and 96 then move
the envelope 24 to the work station 144. The suction
arms 154 and 178 then grasp the opposed sides of the
envelope and pivot and move apart to open and hold the
envelope open at an inclined position relative to the
horizontal. The envelope 24 is thus presented in the work
station 144 for removal of the contents thereof, and the
machine will remain in that operated condition until the
operator again operates the foot switch 223. Upon fur- -
ther operations of the foot switch 223, envelopes 24 will
be released by the arms 154 and 178 as they return to
their envelope receivin~, positions, and the released en-
velopes wlll be further carried by the belts 90 and 96 :
past the candling mechanism 213 and off of the end of the
table 10. As described above operations of the foot
switch 223 will also serially deliver further envelopes
to the work station 144.
In the automatic mode, the operation of the machine
is essentially as described above for the manual mode
except that no operations of the foot switch are
required, and machine will continue to cycle and recycle
until it is stopped by operation of the main on or off
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switch 220. In the automatic mode, the dwell or time
interval of each envelope 24 in the presented open, con-
tents removal condition, at the work station 144 is fixed
by the adjusted condition of the timer control 224.
The control of the operat.ion of the machine by the
operator's hand compr;ses a light source 302 and a photo-
electric cell 303. The light source 302 is secured, and
preferably adjustably, down stream of the work station
144 to the forward edge of the table 12 by a bracket 304.
The photo-electric cell 303 is secured, and also prefer-
ably adjustably, up stream of the work station 144 to the
forward edge of the table 12 by a bracket ~05. The light
source 302 and the photo electric cell 303 are positioned
so that a beam of light from the light source 302 will
strike the photo-electric cell 303 on a line that is
normally intersected by the operator's hand in an envel-
ope.contents removal attitude at the work station 144 `
such as shown in FIG. 2. The line of the light beam be-
tween the light source 302 and the photo-electric cell
303 may further be described as parallel to the belts
90 and 96, and as extending longitudinally centrally of
and spaced from the opened side of an envelope bein~, held
at the work stat;on 144 by the suction arms 154 and 178
for manual removal of the envelope contents. Those
skilled in this art will appre~iate that other arrange-
ments for the interruptable light beam may be provided.
For example; the li~ht source 302 and the photo-electric
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cell 303 may be mounted together as a unitary assembly at
one of the positions shown for those elements with a re-
flecting mirror ~eing mounted at the other of the positions
shown for those elements. The light source and photo-
electric ceLl are then arxanged so that a beam of light fromthe light source strikes the mirror and is reflected back to
the photo-electric cell along paths close to the path described
for the embodiment shown. Also9 if suitable, other known de-
vices comprising interruptable energy paths or energy fields
~ may be substituted for an interruptable light beam. Whatever
arrangement is used, it is essential to the invention that
when the operator removes her hand ~rom the area of the opened
side of the envelope 24 at the work station 1~4 in completion
of an envelope contents removal operation, the machine will
automatically operate to remove the presented envelope 24 and
to present the next envelope 24 at the work station 144 in an
opened condition for removal o~ the contents thereof. One
preferred embodiment for so controlling the machine described
a~ove~ and described in greater detail in my noted patent, is
shown in the electric schematic view of Fig. 3.
Ll and L2 are available power lines in the machine,
preferably with Ll ~eing the neutral or ground-line. In
addition to the main on or off switch 300 and the adjusta~le
time delay resistor 301 which are mounted on the control
panel 20, the ~ircuit comprises the light source
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302, the photo-electric cell 303, a photo-electric cell
amplifier and relay 307, a relay 308, a time delay relay
309, and a limit switch 228.
The limit switch 228 which is also so identified in
my noted copending application is mounted in the machine
so as to be operated by a cam on the motor which drives
the belts 90 and 96, One complete rotation of the motor
which drives the belts 90 and 96 produces one feeding
of an envelope 24, received from the hopper 18 onto the
belts 90 and 96, to the work station 144. The cam on the
. motor is such that at the initial at rest condition of
: the motor the normally closed contacts of switch 228
are closed, and during one rotation of the motor the
normally closed contacts are opened and the normally
open contacts are closed. The power line L2 is connected
to the armature of the switch 228 and the normally closed
contact is connected to terminal 7 of the relay 308. The
coil of relay 308 is connected between termlnals 2 and 7
thereof. Relay 308 has relay contacts arranged as a ;
double-pole double-throw switch. When relay 308 is de
energized~terminals 1 and 4 and terminals 5 and 8 thereof
are closed. Upon energization, terminals 1 and 3 and
terminals 6 and 8 are closed.
As the photo-electric ampli~ier and relay 307 and
the time delay relay 309 are well known in the art3
those skilled in this art will understand the construc-
tion and arrangement of those elements from the schematic
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diagrams shown. As described relative to relay 308,
the operation of the switch contacts of the photo-
electric amplifier and relay 307 and the time delay
relay 309 are controlled by the energized condition of
their coils. ~hen switch 300 is closed, the power lines
L1 and L2 are connected across the coil of photo-elec-
tric amplifier and relay 307 and the light source 302
is energized. With the light beam from the light source
302 striking the photo-electric cell 303, the relay
contacts are operated as shown, termînals 4 and 5 being
connected and terminals 3 and 4 being open. Upon inter-
ruption of the light beam, terminals 3 and 4 are connected
and terminals 4 and 5 disconnected.
Similarly to relay 308, time delay relay 309 has
~15 a double-pole double-throw switch contacts arrangement
although for the present embodiment onIy one switch
arrangement is used. When the coil of time delay relay
309 across terminals 2 and lO thereof, is de-energiæed~
terminals 8 and 11 are connected. Upon ener~ization
20 of the coil of relay 309 and passage of the time period
determined by the adjusted condition of resistor 301,
terminals 8 and 11 are disconnected and terminals 9 and
11 are connected.
For the description of the present i~vention it
is believed sufficlent to point out that upon the con-
nection of terminals 9 and ll of time delay relay 309
power from line L2 is connected to conductor 310~ and
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conductor 310 is connected to an appropriate terminal
in the machine to initiate a cycle of o~eration of the
machine. One cycle of operation of the machine is
understood to comprise at least an operation of the
pivoting arm 52 to deposit an envelope 24 on the belts
90 and 96, a movement of the belts 90 and 96 to carry
the envelope 24 to the work station 144, and an operation
of the pivoting arms 154 and 178 to grasp, raise, open
and hold the envelope 24 for removal of the cbntents
IO thereof. With reference to my noted copending appli-
cation it may be pointed out that conductor 310 is con-
nected to terminal 11 of the time delay relay 240 shown
in FIG. 38 thereof to ini-tiate one cycle of operation
of that machine.
15Upon the foregoing description and with switch 300
closed the operation of the de~cribed embodiments begins
with the operator's hand breaking the light beam to the
photo-electric cell 303. Breaking of the light beam
cause6 terminals 3 and 4 of the photo-electric amplifier
and relay 307 to be connected. Line Ll is then con-
nected through terminals 3 and 4 of relay 307, the coil
of relay 308, and the normally closed contacts of switch
228 to line L2~ Relay 308 then operates connecting its
terminals 6 and 8. An obvious holding circuit for main-
taining relay 308 operated i5 completed through the inter
~onnection of terminals 1 and 3 thereof. The connection
of terminals 6 and 8 of relay 308 partially completes a
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circuit for energizing the coil of time delay relay
309. That circuit is incomplete due to terminals 4
and 5 of relay 307 being open. Nothing further will
; occur until the operator removes her hand to permit
the light source 302 to activate the photo~electric
cell 303. Upan that occurance, terminals 3 and 4 of
relay 307 will be disconnected and terminals 4 and S
; thereof will be connected. Relay 308 will not drop out,and the circuit for energlzin~ the coil of time delay
relay 309 will be completed.
' ' If the operator does not again insert her hand into
;;~ the held envelope during the time period set by the
resistar 301, the time delay relay 309 will operate
upon completion of the set time period and terminals 9
, 15 and 11 of relay 309 will be connected to apply power from
; line L2 to the machine to initiate another cycle of
,' operation.
If the operat,or,again lnserts her hand into the
held envelope during the time period set by the resistor
301, terminals 4 and 5 of reIay 307 will be disconnected
~ to break the circuit to the coil of time delay relay
', ---' 309. Thus it may be seen~the time delay period before
operation of relay 309 enables the operator to look into
the held envelope after she has removed the contents
theresf and if she sees that she has overlooked some
contents, she can again deactivate the photo-electric
cell 303 by breaking the beam from the light source 302
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in removing the overlooked contents with her hand. When
she thereafter again removes her hand~ the photo-electric
cell 303 is again activated, relay 307 again connects its
terminals 4 and 5, and the coil circuit for time delay relay
309 is again completed. After the predetermined time period,
time delay relay 309 will operate to direct power to the ma-
chine to start another cycle of operation.
Once the machine begins another cycle of operation,
the switch 228 is operated to open its normally closed con-
tacts. That operation of switch 228 b~eaks the holding cir-
cuit for relay 308, and relay 308 restores further breaking
its holding circuit at its terminals 3 and 4 and de-energizing
the coil circuit of time delay relay 309 at its terminals 6
and 8. It should be understood that the restoration of time
delay relay 309 and the disconnec~ion of its terminals 9 and
11 should not affect the operation of the machine through a
complete cycle. In other words, once a cycle of ma~hine
operation is initiated by a conneetion of terminals 9 and 11
of time delay relay 309, that cycle must continue to comple
tion even though time delay relay 309 drops out.
As noted previously in the description of the invention
as applied to the machine em~odiment of my noted patent, the
switch 228 is operated by a cam on the motor for driving the
belts 90 and 96. Thus when the bel~ mo~or has moved the
belts 90 and 96 to de-
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liver another envelope to the work station 144, the belt
motor is stopped as the cam on the belt motor breaks
the normally open contacts of switch 228 and closes the
normally closed contacts thereof.
Frorn the foregoing it can be seen that after each
cycle of operation of the machine, and with switch 300
closed, the operator will initiate each succeeding
cycle upon removing the contents of an envelo~e 24 held
open at the wor~ station 14~, and it is apparent that
the machine control provided by her hand i5 a simple,
positive and efficient machine control arrangement.
In the foregoing description, it has been noted that
other known devices comprising interruptable energy paths
or energy fields may be substituted for the interruptable
light beam described in detail relative to one preferred
embodiment. Such other devices may for example comprise
what is known as a proximity switch which establishes an
electrical energy field of capacitive or inductive effect,
or both, and which has switch contacts which will be oper-
ated responsive to the insertion and removal of a per-
son~s hand into and from the established energy fieldO It
should be kept in mind that in using the described inter-
ruptable light path or in using any other interruptable
energy path or energy field, the arrangement must be such
the envelope itself in the worl< station does not affect
the operation of the machine. In other words, it must be
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the hand of the person at the open side of the presentedenvelope in the work station that controls the serial
or successive presentation of envelopes to the work
station and not the envelope itself. As used in the des-
cription and claims, those skilled in this art will un-
derstand that references to a person's hand can also
include anything on or in the person's hand; such as papers
or material which the person lS holding in the interrupt-
able energy path or field over the open side of the pre
sented envelope in the work station.
In making and USiAg machines embodying the invention
care should be taken that the presented envelope in the
~` work station and anything that might be in or on the
envelope does not affect the intended control of the
machine by the person's hand in removing the contents of
or inserting material in the presented envelope. Care
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; should also be taken that false operations of the machine
are not caused by the fact that one person may have a
smaller hand than another, or that they might hold their
fingers in a different manner. Thus in some embodiments
-~ of the invention using an interruptable light beam, it
may be desireable to adjust the light beam at some angle
to the horizontal or vertical over the open side of the
presented envelope. In some instances it may be desire- -
able to align the beam in a substantial vertical direction,
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or to spread or direct its path from a single line into
- a field or grid over the open side of the presented en- -
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velope.
While the described embodiments are primarily dir-
ected to envelope processing machines in which a sealed
envelope is cut alon~ one ed~e -to open the envelope and
the envelope i5 thereafter presented in a held-open
attitude at a work station for manual removal.of the
contents of the envelope, it should be understood that
the invention also contemplates embodiments of envelope
processing machines in which empty envelopes are pre-
sented in a held-open attitude at a work station in the
. machine for manual insertion of materlal lnto the envel-
opes with successive presentations of envelopes to the
work station being controlled by a person's hand at the
open side of each presented envelope.
lS Having described the invention, it is to be under-
stood that changes can be made in the described embodi-
ments by one skilled in the art within the.spirit and
scope of the claims.
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