METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SEQUENTIALLY ORDERING OBJECTS USING A SINGLE PASS DELIVERY POINT PROCESS

• US 20070151904A1
• Filed: 03/14/2007
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: HANSON, Bruce, ROTH, J. Edward
• Granted Patent: US 7,411,146 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 209/584
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/02 Apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/082 In which the objects are carried by transport holders and the transport holders form part of the conveyor belts conveyors with carriers B65G47/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/90 Sorting flat-type mail
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/912 Endless feed conveyor with means for holding each item individually

Abstract

A method and system using a single pass sequencer having a transport system for transporting the mail pieces to a transport system having a moveable carriage system and a stationary carriage system with a plurality of holders slidable between the moveable carriage system and the stationary carriage system. The plurality of holders hold a mail piece of the mail pieces received from the transport system. The mail pieces are sequenced as they are transported or moved from the stationary carriage to the moveable carriage.

Claims

1. A method of sorting objects, comprising the steps of:

inducting objects into separate holders on a first carriage;

transporting the separate holders from the first carriage to a second carriage, in substantially a same order;

instructing the separate holders to move from the second carriage to a corresponding position on the first carriage, incrementally and in sequence, based on sorting criteria read from the objects; and

unloading the sequenced objects from each of the separate holders on the first carriage.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising incrementally moving the first carriage to align each of the separate holders with an empty location on the second carriage prior to the transporting step.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the sorting criteria step includes assigning codes to the separate holders and positions on the first carriage based on information associated with the objects, and

the separate holders are moved in a sequential order from the second carriage to the first carriage based on an alignment of the sorting criteria of the codes and a final sort order.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the objects are mail pieces.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing a packager or packagers at a predetermined position with respect to the first carriage such that the objects are unloaded from each of the separate holders of the first carriage in the sequential order into the packager.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first carriage is a moveable carriage and the second carriage is a stationary carriage.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

incrementing the first carriage prior to transporting the separate holders onto the second carriage; and

maintaining the second carriage in a stationary position during the transporting and the move steps.

8. A method of sequencing objects, comprising:

placing non-sequenced mail pieces in separate holders extending from a moveable carriage;

incrementally moving the moveable carriage and aligning each separate holder filled with one of the non-sequenced mail pieces with a next empty position on a stationary carriage;

moving the separate holders from the moveable carriage to each of the next empty position on the stationary carriage;

assigning codes to the mail pieces and positions on the moveable carriage based on final destination sequence;

moving each of the separate holders from the stationary carriage to the moveable carriage, in a delivery order sequence, based on the assigned codes; and

unloading the mail pieces from the holders on the moveable carriage at a predetermined location in the sequence.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the separate holders are sequenced as they are moved onto the moveable carriage.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising placing one or more packagers at a predetermined position with respect to the moveable carriage such that the sequenced mail pieces are unloaded from each of the separate holders in the delivery order sequence into the one or more packagers or containers.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the separate holders are moved from the moveable carriage to each of the next empty position on the stationary carriage in a same order as originally on the moveable carriage.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of instructing each of the separate holders to release the sequenced mail pieces during the unloading step.

13. The method claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

unloading the mail pieces from the holders on the moveable carriage at a predetermined location into a container or packager in the delivery order sequence;

determining whether the container or packager is full; and

if so, then incrementing the container or packager and inserting a new container or packager at the predetermined location.

14. A method comprising:

feeding non-sequenced objects to separate holders extending from a carriage movable in at least one direction; and

transporting the non-sequenced in the separate holders objects back and forth between a moveable carriage and a stationary carriage to sort the non-sequenced objects stored in the separate holders into a sequence.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising disconnecting a releasable latch mechanism of the separate holders at a predetermined time or location to discharge the objects therefrom.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising releasing a bottom of the separate holders to discharge the object therefrom.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

transporting each of the separate holders between the moveable carriage and the stationary carriage via sliding or rolling.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising reading information on the objects and delivering the information to a sort computer to assign sort codes to the separate holders, instructing movement of the moveable carriage, incrementally, and transporting the separate holders to the stationary carriage in the delivery sequence bsed on the sort codes.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the moveable carriage is movable in two directions for loading of the non-sequenced objects and unloading of the objects, in a sequence.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the objects are mail pieces.