Progressive modularity assortment system with high and low capacity bins

• US 20040069691A1
• Filed: 06/17/2003
• Published: 04/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DMT Solutions Global Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bowe Bell & Howell Company
• Inventors: Overman, John, Conard, Walter S., Estis, Tony, Szewczyk, Richard, Panopoulos, Manny, Stollenwerck, Mike, Svyatsky, Ed, Bednarek, Tomasz, VanErmen, Gary, Swift, Mike
• Granted Patent: US 7,498,539 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 209/584
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/00 Sorting according to destination collating the pages of a book B42C1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/008 Means for collecting objects, e.g. containers for sorted mail items pile receivers in general B65H31/00
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/06 Linear sorting machines in which articles are removed from a stream at selected points
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2402/51 Joints, e.g. riveted or magnetic joints
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2405/33 Compartmented support
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/1916 Envelopes and articles of mail
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 31/06 the articles being piled on edge
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 31/22 removable or interchangeable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/90 Sorting flat-type mail

Abstract

A modular bin or pocket has an integrated transport assembly and mail piece diverter assembly and is usable in a bin stacker section in mail handling and sorting systems. The modular bin is individually removable, interchangeable and replaceable from the bin stacker sections of the mail processing system to allow for repair or maintenance of malfunctioning bins leading to reduced down time of the mail processing system. The modular bin further enables vertical and/or horizontal progressive modularity, i.e., vertical and/or horizontal expansion, of the bin stacker sections of the mail processing system which allows for cost-effective expansion of mail handling systems. Further, there is disclosed a tray management system and a tier diverter system that are usable in mail handling systems that use the modular bin with double sided bin stacker sections or single sided bin stacker sections with or without a turnaround section.

Claims

1. A bin for use in a mail handling and sorting system comprising:

a tray adapted to receive diverted mail pieces;

a transport assembly positioned at a rear end of the tray and adapted to cooperate in the selective diversion of a mail piece into the tray and to form a portion of a mail piece channel in the system;

a paddle assembly moveable to accommodate diverted mail pieces in the tray;

a mail guide positioned on a top surface of the tray, the mail guide configured to raised a mail piece end of the diverted mail piece as the diverted mail pieces travels in the tray; and

a tail removal belt assembly adapted to impart a moving force on an underside of the diverted mail pieces.

2. The bin of claim 1, further comprising:

a latch hook member adapted to secure the tray to the system; and

a bin locating slot adapted to properly position the bin in a bin stacker section of the system.

3. The bin of claim 2, further comprising a tray handle attached to the tray.

4. The bin of claim 3, further comprising an identification holder area.

5. The bin of claim 1, wherein the transport assembly comprises:

a main transport motor;

a main transport belt driven by the main transport motor;

a driven roller and a compliant driven roller actuated by the main transport belt;

a round belt actuated by the main transport motor;

a tray entry belt able to move diverted mail pieces into the tray;

a vertical mail guide adjacent to the tray entry belt able to divert the diverted mail piece into the tray;

a plurality of associated idlers; and

a counting and tracking sensor for sensing mail pieces.

6. The bin of claim 1, wherein the tail removal belt assembly comprise a tail removal belt and a trailing edge removal motor.

7. The bin of claim 2, wherein the horizontal mail guide raises the diverted mail piece via a vertical portion having a tapered end.

8. A bin for use in a mail handling and sorting system comprising:

a tray adapted to receive diverted mail pieces;

a transport assembly positioned at a rear end of the tray and adapted to cooperate in the selective diversion of a mail piece into the tray and to form a portion of a mail piece channel in the system;

a mail piece tray diverter assembly adapted to selectively divert the mail piece to an adjacent and opposing bin tray associated with the system;

a paddle assembly moveable to accommodate diverted mail pieces in the tray;

a mail guide positioned on a top surface of the tray, the mail guide configured to raised a mail piece end of the diverted mail piece as the diverted mail pieces travels in the tray; and

a tail removal belt assembly adapted to impart a moving force on an underside of the diverted mail pieces.

9. A tray management system for use with a mail handling and sorting system comprising:

roller supports;

transport rollers coupled to the roller supports and adapted to transport a mail piece container;

roller actuation belts coupled to the transport rollers and operable to rotate the rollers in a desired transport direction; and

transport guide rails adapted to guide the mail piece container transported on the transport rollers.

10. The tray management system of claim 9, further comprising a take-away ramp operatively positioned to deliver the mail piece container to the transport rollers.

11. The tray management system of claim 10, wherein the take away ramp comprises:

a ramp surface comprising a plurality of ramp rollers;

ramp guide rails attached to the ramp surface to direct the mail piece container; and

at least one ramp positioners attached to the ramp surface.

12. A tier diverter system for use with a mail handling system having one or more tiers of bin sections, the diverter system comprising:

a default mail flow pathway able to transport a mail piece arriving at a mail flow entry-way to a default mail flow exit-way;

a second mail flow pathway able to transport a mail piece selectively diverted into the second mail flow pathway to a corresponding second mail flow exit-way; and

a tier diverter associated with the second mail flow pathway, the tier diverter adapted for selective actuation to thereby selectively divert the mail piece from the default mail flow pathway to the associated second mail flow pathway.

13. The tier diverter system of claim 12, wherein the default mail flow pathway and the second mail flow pathway are adapted to orient the transported mail piece from a first orientation at the mail flow entry-way to a second orientation at the default mail flow exit-way or the second mail flow exit-way.

14. The tier diverter system of claim 13, wherein the second orientation corresponds to an orientation of an associated mail piece pathway.

15. The tier diverter system of claim 13, wherein the first orientation at the mail flow entry-way is a horizontal orientation and the second orientation at the default mail flow exit-way or the second mail flow exit-way is a vertical orientation.

16. A mail handling system for selectively sorting mail pieces comprising:

a front end system;

a transition section adapted to transport a mail piece from the front end system to a mail piece channel;

a center track assembly comprising a center track transport belt and a plurality of mail piece diverter assemblies;

a bin stacker section comprising a plurality of bins, each bin comprising a transport assembly associated with a corresponding mail piece diverter assembly;

the mail piece channel being formed by the center track transport belt and the plurality of bin transport assemblies.

17. The mail handling system of claim 16 wherein each bin further comprises:

a tray adapted to receive the diverted mail pieces;

a paddle assembly movable to accommodate mail pieces diverted into the tray;

a horizontal mail guide positioned on the tray and configured to raise the diverted mail pieces as the diverted mail pieces travel in the removable tray; and

a tail removal belt assembly adapted to impart a moving force on an underside of the diverted mail pieces.

18. The mail handling system of claim 16, wherein the transport assembly comprises:

a main transport motor;

a main transport belt driven by the main transport motor;

a driven roller and a compliant driven roller actuated by the main transport belt;

a round belt actuated by the main transport motor;

a tray entry belt able to move diverted mail pieces into the tray;

a vertical mail guide adjacent to the tray entry belt able to divert the diverted mail piece into the tray;

a plurality of associated idlers; and

a counting and tracking sensor for sensing mail pieces.

19. A mail handling system for selectively sorting mail pieces comprising:

a front end system;

a transition section adapted to transport a mail piece from the front end system to a mail piece channel;

a center track assembly comprising at least one center track transport belt and a plurality of mail piece diverter assemblies;

a front and rear bin stacker section comprising a plurality of bins, each bin comprising a transport assembly associated with a corresponding mail piece diverter assembly;

a turnaround section coupled to the front and rear bin stacker sections;

the mail piece channel formed by the at least one center track transport belt, a plurality of adjacent bin transport assemblies, and the turnaround section.

20. The mail handling system of claim 19, further comprises:

a tray management system; and

an associated take away ramp.

21. The mail handling system of claim 19, wherein each bin further comprises:

a tray adapted to receive the diverted mail pieces;

a paddle assembly movable to accommodate the mail pieces diverted into the tray;

a horizontal mail guide positioned on the tray and configured to raise a mail piece end of the diverted mail pieces as the diverted mail pieces travel in the tray;

a tail removal belt assembly adapted to impart a moving force on an underside of the diverted mail pieces;

a latch hook member adapted to secure the tray to the bin;

a bin locating slot adapted to properly position the bin in the stacker section.

a tray handle attached to the tray; and

an identification holder area.

22. The mail handling system of claim 21, wherein the tray management system comprises:

roller supports;

transport rollers coupled to the roller supports and adapted to transport a mail piece container;

roller actuation belts coupled to the transport rollers and operable to rotate the rollers in a desired transport direction; and

transport guide rails adapted to guide the mail piece container transported on the transport rollers.

23. A mail handling system for selectively sorting mail pieces comprising:

a front end system;

a transition section adapted to transport a mail piece from the front end system to a mail piece channel;

a plurality of adjacent bins operably disposed in an opposing and staggered configuration,

each bin comprising,

a tray adapted to receive diverted mail pieces,

a transport assembly comprising a main transport belt, the transport assembly positioned at a rear end of the tray,

a mail piece tray diverter assembly positioned at the rear end of the tray and operable to selectively divert mail pieces to an opposing bin;

the mail piece channel formed by the plurality of adjacent opposing transport assemblies of the plurality of opposing and staggered bins;

whereby mail pieces traveling in the mail piece channel are selectively diverted to a selected bin by actuation of a mail diverter assembly associated with the selected bin.

24. The mail handling system of claim 23, further comprises:

a tray management system; and

an associated take away ramp.

25. The mail handling system of claim 23, wherein the transport assembly further comprises:

a main transport motor;

a main transport belt driven by the main transport motor;

a driven roller and a compliant driven roller actuated by the main transport belt;

a round belt actuated by the main transport motor;

a tray entry belt able to move diverted mail pieces into the tray;

a vertical mail guide adjacent to the tray entry belt able to divert the diverted mail piece into the tray;

a plurality of associated idlers; and

a counting and tracking sensor for sensing mail pieces.