AUTOMATED FLATS DIVIDER

• US 20070201968A1
• Filed: 02/23/2007
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Inventors: Timm, Jacob L., Good, Matthew Gene, Hillerich, Thomas Anthony, Schlender, Robert Lee, Neebe, Mark Thomas, Miller, Charles Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,553,119 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 414/265
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 1/00 Measures preceding sorting according to destination
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/02 Apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/087 the objects being taken up in transport files or holders which are not part of the conveyor belts cable post B65G

Abstract

An automated flats handling system is provided that includes mail shuttles, a tray unloading section, a quality control area, a shuttle tilter, a shuttle return section and a stacker/loader. The tray unloading section has a conveyor and unloads mail from a standard tray into one of the shuttles. The quality control area also has a conveyor and facilitates grooming the mail in the shuttle. The shuttle tilter tilts each shuttle prior to unloading the mail from the shuttle. The shuttle return section also has a conveyor and returns the shuttles to the tray unloading section. The stacker/loader cooperates with the shuttle tilter and unloads the mail from the shuttles, creates a mail stack from the unloaded mail, and loads a portion of the mail stack into an automation compatible tray.

Claims

1. An automated flats handling system, comprising:

a plurality of shuttles;

a tray unloading section, including a first shuttle conveyor, to unload mail from a standard tray into one of the shuttles;

a quality control area, including a second shuttle conveyor coupled to the first shuttle conveyor, to facilitate grooming the mail in the shuttle;

a shuttle tilter, coupled to the second shuttle conveyor, to tilt each shuttle prior to unloading the mail from the shuttle;

a shuttle return section, including a third shuttle conveyor coupled to the shuttle tilter and the first shuttle conveyor, to return the shuttles to the tray unloading section; and

a stacker/loader to cooperate with the shuttle tilter and unload the mail from the shuttles, to create a mail stack from the unloaded mail, and to load a portion of the mail stack into an automation compatible tray.

2. The automated flats handling system of claim 1, wherein the tray unloading section includes a tray conveyor, to transport the standard tray, and a tray rotator, to rotate the standard tray from an upright orientation to an inverted orientation prior to placement of the inverted, standard tray onto one of the shuttles.

3. The automated flats handling system of claim 2, wherein the tray rotator includes a cover to close the standard tray, prior to rotation, to prevent the mail from discharging from the standard tray.

4. The automated flats handling system of claim 3, wherein the first shuttle conveyor articulates to allow the shuttle to move underneath the inverted, standard tray prior to placement onto the shuttle.

5. The automated flats handling system of claim 2, further comprising a tray remover to remove the inverted, standard tray from the shuttle while leaving the mail in the shuttle.

6. The automated flats handling system of claim 5, wherein the tray remover is a vacuum pickup.

7. The automated flats handling system of claim 1, wherein each shuttle includes a plurality of finger grooves to facilitate grooming the mail in the shuttles.

8. The automated flats handling system of claim 1, wherein each shuttle includes a plurality of slots that cooperate with the stacker/loader to unload the mail from the shuttles.

9. The automated flats handling system of claim 1, wherein the stacker/loader includes:

a frame;

a shelf attached to the frame;

a slotted surface plate, attached to the shelf, to cooperate with a plurality of slots in each shuttle;

two stackers, coupled to the frame, to unload the mail from each shuttle and to create a mail stack from the unloaded mail;

a backstop, coupled to the frame, to support the front end of the mail stack;

a separator, coupled to the frame, to divide the mail stack into a smaller portion of mail; and

an autopaddle, coupled to the frame, to load the smaller portion of mail into the automation compatible tray.

10. The automated flats handling system of claim 9, wherein each stacker includes a fixed set of tines and a movable set of tines, the backstop includes a set of tines and the autopaddle includes a set of tines.

11. The automated flats handling system of claim 10, wherein the two stackers, the backstop and the autopaddle translate along the frame in a direction parallel to the shelf.

12. The automated flats handling system of claim 11, wherein the two stackers, the backstop, the autopaddle and the separator translate in a direction perpendicular to the shelf.

13. The automated flats handling system of claim 11, wherein the set of movable tines translates along the stacker in the direction parallel to the shelf.

14. The automated flats handling system of claim 10, wherein the stacker/loader includes a conveyor to transport the automation compatible tray.

15. The automated flats handling system of claim 10, wherein the separator includes a plurality of staggered fingers, each having at least two belts located on opposing sides of the finger.

16. The automated flats handling system of claim 10, wherein the stacker/loader includes a kick out mechanism, coupled to the shelf, to create a gap in a bottom edge of the mail stack.

17. The automated flats handling system of claim 10, wherein the stacker/loader includes a set of cams to secure the front edge of the mail stack during the creation of the smaller portion of mail.

18. A stacker/loader for an automated flats handling system, comprising:

a frame;

a shelf attached to the frame;

a slotted surface plate, attached to the shelf, to cooperate with a plurality of slots in a mail shuttle;

two articulated stackers, each coupled to the frame and having a fixed set of tines and a movable set of tines, to unload mail from the mail shuttle and to create a mail stack from the unloaded mail;

an articulated backstop, coupled to the frame and having a fixed set of tines, to support the front end of the mail stack;

an articulated separator, coupled to the frame and having a plurality of fingers, to divide the mail stack into a smaller portion of mail; and

an articulated autopaddle, coupled to the frame and having a fixed set of tines, to load the smaller portion of mail into an automation compatible tray;

a conveyor to deliver and remove automation compatible trays.

19. The stacker/loader of claim 18, wherein:

the two stackers, the backstop and the autopaddle translate along the frame in a direction parallel to the shelf;

the two stackers, the backstop, the autopaddle and the separator translate in a direction perpendicular to the shelf; and

each set of movable stacker tines translates along the stacker in the direction parallel to the shelf.

20. The stacker/loader of claim 19, wherein:

the separator includes a plurality of staggered fingers, each having at least two belts located on opposing sides of the finger; and

the stacker/loader includes;

a kick out mechanism, coupled to the shelf, to create a gap in a bottom edge of the mail stack, and

a set of cams to secure the front edge of the mail stack during the creation of the smaller portion of mail.