Mixed mail sorting machine

• US 20020070149A1
• Filed: 10/02/2001
• Published: 06/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Dematic AG (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Dematic AG (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Enenkel, Peter, Schererz, Holger, Powollik, Dieter
• Granted Patent: US 6,994,220 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 209/540
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 1/02 Forming articles into a stream; Arranging articles in a stream, e.g. spacing, orientating transport of sheets B65H
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/00 Sorting according to destination collating the pages of a book B42C1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/02 Apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/14 using light-responsive detecting means for information carriers G06K7/14

Abstract

A mixed mail sorting machine includes a feeder that receives a stack of incoming mail pieces and outputs the mail pieces one at a time in a vertical position; a scanner which receives mail pieces from the feeder and scans each mail piece in a vertical position to read sorting information thereon; a reorientation conveyor which receives the scanned mail pieces from the scanner and re-orients each mail piece from a vertical to a horizontal position; a transport device for turning mailing through a 180° arc; a splitter conveyor including a movable divert section which diverts each mail piece to an upper path or a lower path; a bin module which includes upper and lower bin sections which receive mail pieces from the upper and lower paths, respectively, wherein each bin section includes a row of bins and an associated series of tiltable conveyor sections which can be actuated to drop a mail piece into the associated bin; and a control system which tracks each mail piece as it moves from the scanner to the bins and controls operation of the divert section and the tiltable conveyor section so that each mail piece is sorted to predetermined bin based on the sorting information read by the scanner.

Claims

1. A mail sorting machine comprising:

a feeder that receives a stack of incoming mail pieces and outputs the mail pieces one at a time in a vertical position;

a scanner which receives mail pieces from the feeder and scans each mail piece in a vertical position to read sorting information thereon;

a reorientation conveyor which receives the scanned mail pieces from the scanner and re-orients each mail piece from a vertical to a horizontal position;

a splitter conveyor including a movable divert section which diverts each mail piece to an upper flight or a lower flight;

a bin module which includes upper and lower bin sections which receive mail pieces from the upper and lower flights, respectively, wherein each bin section comprises a row of bins and an associated series of tiltable conveyor sections which can be actuated to drop a mail piece into the associated bin; and

a control system which tracks each mail piece as it moves from the scanner to the bins and controls operation of the divert section and the tiltable conveyor section so that each mail piece is sorted to a predetermined bin based on the sorting information read by the scanner.

2. The mail sorting machine of claim 1 further comprising a transport device disposed between the scanner and reorientation conveyor, the transport device including:

a deflector, the deflector defining a substantially semicircular path through which the transport device transports mail pieces, the deflector further defining an input end and a discharge end of the transport, the deflector being configured to turn mail pieces received by the device from a first transport direction substantially aligned with the input end to a second transport direction substantially aligned with the discharge end;

a first, vertically oriented, endless belt configured to travel along the substantially semicircular path in contact with the deflector from the input end to the discharge end of the transport device;

a second, vertically oriented, endless belt configured to travel along the substantially semicircular path from the input end to the discharge end, the first endless belt contacting the second endless belt adjacent to the input end and carrying the second endless belt around the path to the discharge end of the transport device;

at least one guide member, the guide member forming a path for mail pieces fed to the transport device into the input end of the transport device and between the first and second endless belts; and

a horizontal conveyor configured to receive the bottom edge of mail pieces entering the input end of the transport device and convey the mail pieces along the guide member and between the first and second endless belts, the first and second endless belts conveying the mail pieces through the path from the input end to the discharge.

3. The transport device of claim 2 further comprising a sensor at an input end of the curved path, the sensor detecting a mail piece at the input end of the transport device.

4. The transport device of claim 2 further comprising a sensor at a discharge end of the curved path, the sensor detecting a mail piece at the discharge end of the transport device.

5. The transport device of claim 2 further comprising a pair of input guide flanges, the guide flanges forming a path for mail pieces fed to the transport device into the input end of the transport device and between the first and second endless belts.

6. The transport device of claim 2 further comprising a discharge guide assembly, the discharge guide assembly forming a path for mail pieces exiting the transport device from between the first and second endless belts, the discharge guide assembly including at least one guide member configured for movement to accommodate the passage of a mail piece through the guide assembly.

7. The transport device of claim 2 wherein the device carries the mail pieces through an arc of about 180°

.

8. The mail sorting machine of claim 1 further comprising means for reversing the direction of travel of mail pieces exiting the scanner, the means being disposed between the scanner and a downstream mail piece processing apparatus.

9. The mail sorting machine of claim 1 further comprising a printer for labeling mail pieces carried though the semicircular path.

10. The mail sorting machine of claim 1 wherein the moveable divert section further comprises a belt-type conveyor configured to receive and convey horizontally positioned mail pieces from the reorientation section, the conveyor having first and second ends and being pivotable around the first end to move the second end to a selected flight.

11. The mail sorting machine of claim 10 wherein the moveable divert section further comprises a plurality of resilient rotating members, the resilient rotating members retaining mail pieces between the members and the endless belt as the mail pieces are conveyed by the endless belt.

12. The mail sorting machine of claim 10 further comprising an elevator conveyor, the elevator conveyor receiving mail from the divert section and carrying the mail along an incline to an upper flight for sorting into a selected one of a plurality of sort bins.

13. The mail sorting machine of claim 12 wherein the elevator conveyor further comprises a plurality of resilient rotating members, the members retaining mail pieces between the conveyor and the members as the mail pieces are carried up the incline.

14. The mail sorting machine of claim 13 further comprising an elevator module including the elevator conveyor and at least one tiltable conveyor for directing mail pieces into a selected one of the plurality of bins, each of the tiltable conveyors including first and second ends and being pivotable around the first end to incline the conveyor section to direct mail pieces to an associated bin.

15. The mail sorting machine of claim 14 further comprising a deflector associated with each tiltable conveyor for directing mail pieces into the associated bin.

16. The mail sorting machine of claim 1 further comprising a bin module which includes upper and lower bin sections which receive mail pieces from upper and lower flights, respectively, wherein each bin section comprises a row of bins and an associated series of tiltable conveyor sections which can be actuated to drop a mail piece into the associated bin, each of the tiltable conveyors including first and second ends and being pivotable around the first end to incline the conveyor section to direct mail pieces into an associated bin.

17. The mail sorting machine of claim 16 wherein each bin comprises a impact wall, an inclined moveable stacking platter, a side wall and an upper wall, the impact wall being inclined toward the stacking platter and toward the side wall to align mail pieces entering bin and impacting the impact wall.

18. The mail sorting machine of claim 17 wherein the upper wall extends downwardly into the path of mail pieces entering the bin to direct mail pieces entering the bin downwardly into the bin.

19. The mail sorting machine of claim 18 further comprising a spring for supporting the moveable stacking platter and wherein the stacking platter moves to maintain a substantially constant distance between an uppermost mail piece positioned in the bin and the upper wall.

20. The mail sorting machine of claim 19 further comprising a sensor for detecting the volume of mail pieces present in the bin and signaling the control system when the volume of mail pieces in the bin reaches a predetermined level.