Separator for separating envelopes from a stack

Abstract

A separator for separating envelopes from a stack has a feeding roller for exerting a force onto the envelope, urging it in a direction tangential to its circumference and parallel to a separating plane, and a deflecting surface for deflecting a leading edge of the envelope as it is urged in the tangential direction. The feeding roller and the deflecting surface bound a feeding path having a width, and starting at the separating position. Both feeding roller and deflecting surface include portions each extending from or from beyond opposite lateral sides of the feeding path inwardly across a lateral outer portion of the feeding path.

1 . A separator for separating envelopes from a stack, comprising:
 a holder including a support, for holding the stack with an outer one of the envelopes in a separating position in a separating plane,   at least one feeding roller having a circumference and positioned relative to the holder for contacting the envelope in the separating position in a contact area of its circumference, and for exerting a friction force onto the envelope for urging the envelope in a direction tangential to the circumference and parallel to the separating plane; and   at least one deflecting surface spaced from the contact area in said tangential direction, the at least one deflecting surface extending at an angle to said separating plane at least from a position in the separating plane, for deflecting the leading edge of the envelope in the separating position as it is urged in said tangential direction along the separating plane and passes along the at least one deflecting surface;   wherein the at least one feeding roller and the at least one deflecting surface bound a feeding path starting at said separating position, said feeding path having a width;   wherein the at least one feeding roller includes two portions extending from or from beyond opposite lateral sides of the feeding path inwardly across at least lateral outer portions of the feeding path;   wherein the at least one deflecting surface includes two portions extending from or from beyond opposite lateral sides of the feeding path inwardly across at least lateral outer portions of the feeding path; and   wherein the deflecting surface has a friction coefficient uniform across its width.   
   
   
       2 . A separator according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one feeding roller extends continuously across the feeding path. 
   
   
       3 . A separator according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one deflecting surface extends continuously across the feeding path. 
   
   
       4 . A separator according to  claim 1 , wherein the angle between the deflecting surface and the separating plane is between 85 and 140° and preferably between 110 and 130°. 
   
   
       5 . A separator according to  claim 1 , wherein the friction coefficient of the deflecting surface relative to paper is smaller than 1. 
   
   
       6 . A separator according to  claim 1 , wherein the friction coefficient of the deflecting surface relative to paper is larger than 0.4.