Envelope opener device

Claim 1

An envelope opener device for effecting a slit adjacent a margin through the upper layer only of an envelope or the like comprising a planar support table having its longitudinal axis arrayed in a horizontal plane and having its transverse axis inclined to the horizontal to define upper and lower marginal side edges, a stop fence in abutting relation to the lower marginal edges of said table, said fence being disposed substantially at right angles to said table, an aperture formed in said table in proximate spaced relation to said fence, a circular rotary knife member including a sharpened peripheral portion extending upwardly through said table, said knife member projecting upwardly beyond said table a distance at least equal to the thickness of the paper of the envelope to be processed, drive means for rotating said knife member about an axis of rotation parallel to the plane of said table and normal to the longitudinal axis of said table, a bushing mounted above said table and including an aperture, a stub shaft including an extension shaft rotatably mounted in said aperture, said stub shaft and extension shaft having parallel, laterally offset axes, a holddown wheel mounted on said stub shaft, said wheel being rotatable about said stub shaft about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of said knife, the periphery of said wheel being spaced from the periphery of said knife a first preset distance less than the thickness of the stock of an envelope to be processed, and adjustment means for rotating said extension shaft relative to said bushing, thereby to shift said hold-down wheel from said first preset distance to a second and closer preset distance from said knife periphery for the processing of envelopes formed of thinner stock than said first preset distance.