Abstract: A device automatically dispenses labels from a continuous strip. It constitutes a compact module comprising at least three parts hinged together including an upper flap and a main guide part and a lower guide part which cooperate with each other to form a guide path whose strip entry axis is offset angularly (twistwise) from the label exit axis. The three parts carry a strip guide path, a cutting device, an intermittent strip feed, strip and label sensor, a drive for the feed and the cutting device, and a device for ejecting each cut label.

Abstract: A postage meter has a removable franking head and a stationary base on which said head is mounted at a defined location, with locking means coupled to an external control for locking the head in place on the base. The meter also has two complementary connector portions for electrically interconnecting the head and the base by one of said connector portions plugging into the other. One of said first and second connector portions is movably mounted to move between an unplugged first position and a plugged second position in which the connector portions are plugged together, and is connected to actuator means for ensuring that the connector portion is in said unplugged first position while said head is being installed on the base.

Abstract: A general-purpose document folding machine comprises a folding module including at least one folding blade on a main document path. A pair of feed rollers and a pair of ejector rollers for advancing and ejecting documents are associated with each folding blade, disposed one on each side thereof and adapted to have the rollers driven to advance documents along the main path. At least one deflector flap on the main path diverts selectively from the main path documents that are to be folded. Drive means displace each folding blade transversely to a diverted document facing it in order to fold the document and also displace each folding blade along the main path at a longitudinal speed substantially equal to the rate of advance of the documents along the main path. This is in order to fold a diverted document while in motion and insert it between the rollers of the respective pair of ejector rollers.

Abstract: A device for opening envelope bodies so that they can be filled has opening fingers coupled to actuator means for moving the fingers between a retracted position and an opening position in front of each envelope in a filling position. The device includes a preassembled assembly (30) formed on a "finger" shaft (35) which carries the fingers (30) which are mounted to rotate freely thereon and which are positioned longitudinally therealong and retained resiliently by abutment means, and secondly a guide plate (10) mounted relative to the assembly (30) to oppose the abutment means by constituting a sliding surface for the fingers when they are actuated. The device is applicable to processing mail.

Abstract: The machine has a set of wheels and a set of backing wheels for bringing envelopes into a filling position where they face a mail path, and holding them therein, the mail path having mail advance means and envelope body opening fingers. The set of backing wheels (4) is coupled via a free wheel mechanism (26) to the mail advance means (8) and is controlled to leave a retracted position once an envelope is in a filling position to return to a position where it presses against the set of wheels (3) by means (17, 35-36) for detecting that an item of mail has been partially inserted into the envelope, and is stopped together with the mail advance means by means for detecting that the item of mail has been fully inserted into the envelope. The invention is applicable to processing mail.