Sorting Center and Method for Sorting and Combining Mail and a Sorting Cabinet and Buffer Assembly for Use Therein

• US 20080264838A1
• Filed: 02/16/2005
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke TNT Post B.V. (PostNL NV)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke TNT Post B.V. (PostNL NV)
• Inventors: Limpens, Barbara
• Application Number:
  US11/884,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20080264838A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 209/703
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/00 Sorting according to destination collating the pages of a book B42C1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 7/02 Compartmented furniture, e.g. pigeon-holes B07C7/005 takes precedence; furniture per se A47B; storage racks B65G

Abstract

The invention relates to a sorting center for sorting and combining mail, comprising sorting units in particular sorting cabinets, for hand-sorting mail and combining units, in particular combining tables, for combining into a single mail flow hand-sorted and other mail which has for instance already been sorted earlier or has been machine-sorted. The combining units are then physically separated from the sorting units and can be used independently thereof, so that sorting and combining can take place independently of each other.

The invention further relates to a method for sorting and combining mail, and a sorting cabinet, a buffer assembly for use in a sorting center and method according to the invention.

Claims

1. A sorting center for sorting and combining mail, comprising sorting units for hand-sorting mail and combining units for combining hand-sorted mail and other mail into a single flow of sorted mail, which other mail has for instance already been sorted elsewhere or is machine-sorted, characterized in that the combining units are physically separated from the sorting units and can be used independently of each other.

2. A sorting center according to claim 1, comprising at least one buffer for storage of mail to be sorted and/or to be combined.

3. A sorting center according to claim 1, comprising transporting means for transport of mail to the sorting and/or combining units.

4. A sorting center according to claim 2, wherein at least one part of the at least one buffer is wheeled, and can function as transport means for transporting mail to the sorting and/or combining units.

5. A sorting center according to claim 2, wherein the or each buffer and/or the transporting means are provided with destination-restricted storage positions, for storage to a particular destination area, for instance a region, district or sub-district.

6. A sorting center according to claim 2, wherein the wheeled buffer parts and/or transport means are provided with different storage levels.

7. A sorting center according to claim 2, wherein the wheeled buffer parts and/or transport means are provided with guiding provisions designed for cooperation with guiding provisions adjacent a combining unit and/or sorting unit, for unambiguous positioning of the respective buffer part or transport means adjacent said unit.

8. A sorting center according to claim 1, wherein the sorting units are arranged in a sorting zone and the combining units are arranged in a combining zone, and wherein, between the two zones, a zone with wheeled, destination-restricted storage buffers is provided.

21. A sorting center according to claim 2, wherein the buffer comprises at least one buffer assembly comprising a static buffer part and at least one wheeled buffer part that can be coupled and uncoupled, the static buffer part comprising a number of storage positions located next to each other and/or above each other, the at least one wheeled buffer part comprising storage positions which link up therewith so that this buffer part, in coupled condition, forms an extension of the buffer and in uncoupled condition forms a transport means.

9. A sorting cabinet for hand-sorting mail, comprising a number of sorting cubicles, which are each provided with a programmable identification means (16), designed for representing a sorting destination.

10. A sorting cabinet according to claim 9, comprising memory means for storing one or more sorting programs, each provided with a series of sorting destinations belonging to a particular delivery area, and control means for controlling the different identification means (16) on the basis of these sorting programs.

11. A sorting cabinet according to claim 10, wherein the sorting programs contain information regarding a particular order in which the sorting destinations can be coupled to the sorting cubicles and/or the sorting cubicles can be emptied.

12. A sorting cabinet according to claim 9, wherein the height of the sorting cubicles is adjustable.

13. A sorting cabinet according to claim 9, in which the width of the cabinet is adjustable.

14. A sorting cabinet according to claim 9, wherein the number of sorting cubicles is greater than the number of sorting destinations per delivery area such that a desired working height and/or working width is adjustable by using only a part of the available rows and/or columns of sorting cubicles.

15. A sorting cabinet according to claim 9, wherein control means of the sorting cabinet are designed such that, prior to use, it is mandatory to set user-dependent working conditions such as for instance the working height, right-handedness or left-handedness.

16. A sorting cabinet according to claim 9, comprising at least two cabinet parts which are mutually pivotally connected.

17. A sorting cabinet according to claim 16, wherein the cabinet parts are pivotable about a substantially vertical pivot.

18. A sorting cabinet according to claim 9, wherein the cabinet, or parts thereof, are wheeled.

22. A sorting center comprising sorting units for hand-sorting mail and combining units for combining hand-sorted mail and other mail into a single flow of sorted mail, which other mail has for instance already been sorted elsewhere or is machine-sorted, characterized in that the combining units are physically separated from the sorting units and can be used independently of each other, wherein the sorting units comprise at least one sorting cabinet according to claim 9.

28. A sorting center comprising sorting units for hand-sorting mail and combining units for combining hand-sorted mail and other mail into a single flow of sorted mail, which other mail has for instance already been sorted elsewhere or is machine-sorted, characterized in that the combining units are physically separated from the sorting units and can be used independently of each other, wherein the sorting units comprise at least one sorting cabinet-according to claim and a buffer assembly according to claim 9 and a buffer assembly comprising a static buffer part and at least one wheeled buffer part that can be coupled and uncoupled, the static buffer part comprising a number of storage positions located next to each other and/or above each other, the at least one wheeled buffer part comprising storage positions which link up therewith so that this buffer part, in coupled condition, forms an extension of the buffer and in uncoupled condition forms a transport means.

19. A buffer assembly comprising a static buffer part and at least one wheeled buffer part that can be coupled and uncoupled, the static buffer part comprising a number of storage positions located next to each other and/or above each other, the at least one wheeled buffer part comprising storage positions which link up therewith so that this buffer part, in coupled condition, forms an extension of the buffer and in uncoupled condition forms a transport means.

20. A buffer assembly according to claim 19, comprising transport means for transporting stored goods to the different storage positions, and blocking means for blocking or switching off transport means when the at least one wheeled buffer part has been or is uncoupled.

23. A method for sorting mail, wherein a first mail flow is hand-sorted, and is then combined with a second mail flow, for instance unaddressed mail or automatically sorted mail, resulting in a single flow of sorted mail, while the combining is carried out at a different location and preferably by other persons than the hand-sorting of the first mail flow.

24. A method according to claim 23, wherein, prior to the combining, the first and or second mail flow are stored in a buffer, preferably a destination-restricted, at least partly mobile buffer.

25. A method according to claim 23, wherein the mail for a particular delivery area is sorted to order of delivery destination.

26. A method according to claim 23, wherein, when traversing the different process steps, the mail flows are subdivided into sub-flows corresponding to particular areas of delivery, while per sub-flow information carriers are added with knowledge and/or instructions regarding sorting and/or combining operations to be carried out to the respective sub-flows.

27. A method according to claim 23, wherein the mail flows to be combined involve addressed mail, and wherein possible unaddressed mail is held separate until the moment the addressed mail is delivered at a final destination.