Abstract: A drive device for driving items of mail along a conveyor path of a postage meter base, the device being disposed upstream from a print mechanism and including first and second motorized feed rollers cooperating with associated moving backing-rollers mounted on hinged means which can pivot about a common hinge axis against return springs fixed to support means, at least one of the backing-rollers comprising a middle backing-wheel mounted on a lever hinged about the common axis and disposed between twin outer backing-wheels each mounted on a respective lever also hinged about a common axis, such that mail items inserted on the conveyor path come into contact with one only of the outer backing-wheels and the middle backing-wheel, or else with all three backing-wheels, depending respectively on whether or not the items are thinner or thicker than a predetermined thickness.

Abstract: The unstacking device comprises an object magazine (2), an object transport conveyor (7) for removing objects from the magazine, an object separator assembly (20) mounted in front of the object outlet from the magazine above the transport conveyor and comprising firstly a retaining element constituted by at least one flexible end tongue (34) mounted on a deflector flap (31) carried by a pivoting arcuate arm (32) which is resiliently urged by a spring (38), and secondly a part constituting a separator shoe (40) carried by a second pivoting arm (41) which is resiliently urged by a second spring (45), an object extractor (50), and detector for (55, 56) for detecting when objects are engaged in said object extractor in order to stop said conveyor (7).