Method and apparatus for processing mail obtain image data of contents

• US 20050018214A1
• Filed: 06/04/2004
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Opex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Opex Corporation
• Inventors: Hayduchok, George L., DeWitt, Robert R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,537,203 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.100
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/00 Sorting according to destination collating the pages of a book B42C1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/06 Linear sorting machines in which articles are removed from a stream at selected points
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/987 with the intervention of an operator

Abstract

A method and apparatus for processing mail is provided. Mail is placed into an input bin having a conveyor that conveys the mail towards a feeder. The feeder serially feeds the envelopes by engaging the lead envelope in the stack of mail and displacing the lead envelope transverse the stack of mail. The mail is then cut on a side edge and the top edge to cut open each envelope. A transport conveys the cut envelopes to an extractor. The extractor opens the edge-severed mail and presents the contents of the envelopes to an operator who manually extracts the contents. The operator drops the extracted contents onto a conveyor that conveys the contents to an imaging station. The contents are automatically separated and imaged to obtain image data for the contents. The contents are then sorted into a plurality of output bins.

Claims

1. An apparatus for processing document comprising:

an input bin for receiving a stack of envelopes containing documents;

a feeder for feeding an envelope from the stack of envelopes;

a cutter operable to cut at least one edge of the envelope;

an extractor operable to open the edge-severed envelope by pulling apart the envelope to expose the documents for manual removal by the operator;

a drop conveyor for receiving extracted documents, wherein the conveyor is configured to receive and convey documents that are dropped onto the conveyor in a generally horizontal configuration; and

a scanner operable to scan a face of the extracted document.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a sorting station operable to sort the documents.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a seating area for an operator wherein a portion of the drop conveyor is disposed between the seating area and the extractor.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the drop conveyor comprises a roller bed.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a second feeder adjacent an end of the drop conveyor, so that the second feeder is operable to receive documents from the drop conveyor and serially feed the documents to the scanner.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the second feeder comprises a feeder arm extending vertically upwardly at an angle relative to the conveyor.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the feeder arm is disposed so that an acute angle is formed between the feeder arm and a top surface of the drop conveyor.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 a uncreaser for reducing crease or fold lines in the documents.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the uncreaser comprises a guide having a edge that is preferably at least as wide as the width of the documents, wherein the uncreaser is positioned so that the documents are pulled over the edge as the documents are conveyed through the apparatus.

10-13. -13. (Cancelled)

14. A method for processing documents, comprising the steps of:

dropping a packet of two or more folded documents onto a generally horizontal document transport;

conveying the documents along the document transport to a scanner;

justifying an edge of the documents as the documents are being transported to the scanner;

flattening the documents to reduce folds in the documents;

separating the documents in the packet so that the documents in the packet are serially fed to the scanner;

scanning the documents with the scanner to obtain a set of image data for the scanned documents.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the method comprises the step of unfolding the folded documents.

16. The method of claim 14 comprising the step of sorting the documents into one or more bins.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the method comprises the step analyzing the image data for the document to determine a characteristic of the document.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of dropping a packet of two or more documents comprises the step of dropping the documents in a generally horizontal orientation onto the conveyor.

19. The method of claim 14 comprising the step of opening an envelope containing the packet of two or more documents and extracting the documents.

20. The method of claim 19 comprising the step of feeding the envelope from a stack of mail.

21. A method for processing documents, comprising the steps of:

dropping a folded document onto a document transport;

conveying the document along the document transport to a scanner;

serially feeding the document to the scanner;

scanning the document to obtain a set of image data corresponding to the image of the document; and

discharging the document into one of a plurality of output bins.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the method comprises the step of unfolding the folded document.

23. The method of claim 21 comprising the step of identifying a characteristic of the document and sorting the document based on the characteristic

24. The method of claim 21 wherein the method comprises the step analyzing the image data for the document to determine a characteristic of the document.

25. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of dropping the folded document comprises dropping the folded document as part of a packet of two or more documents.

26. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of dropping the document comprises dropping the document in a generally horizontal orientation onto the conveyor.

27. The method of claim 21 comprising the step of opening an envelope containing the document and extracting the document.

28. The method of claim 27 comprising the step of feeding the envelope from a stack of mail.

29-66. -66. (Cancelled)