Method and apparatus for sorting and distributing mail

• US 3,905,896 A
• Filed: 09/16/1974
• Issued: 09/16/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Harry L. Jackson, Harry R. Boyd
• Original Assignee: Harry L. Jackson, Harry R. Boyd
• Inventors: Jackson, Harry L., Boyd, Harry R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reeves, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kocovsky, Thomas E.
• Application Number:
  US05/506,309
• Time in Patent Office: 365 Days
• Field of Search: 209/DIG.1,123,124 211/1.5,131
• US Class Current: 209/704
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/04 Drum-type sorting machines or having circularly arranged sorting compartments
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 7/02 Compartmented furniture, e.g. pigeon-holes B07C7/005 takes precedence; furniture per se A47B; storage racks B65G

Abstract

This invention relates to apparatus for sorting and distributing mail which comprises a centrally-located carousel-like unit that rotates about a vertically-disposed axis during both of the aforesaid operations and around which are grouped one or more stationary receiving stations extending radially therefrom. The carousel unit itself has two or more pigeonholes opening radially outward from a central core that repeatedly and successively circulate past each receiving station and distribution point. Detachably retained within each pigeonhole is an open-fronted drawer-like bin designed for removal and replacement while the unit is still in motion. A novel braking device consisting of a pin spring-biased against an undulating cam carried atop an idler wheel rotated by the carousel cooperates with a friction drive so as to enable the unit to be stopped at will whereupon it will remain stopped until restarted. These same units also cooperate such that, once the unit is in motion, it will remain in motion until stopped due to the fact that the drive mechanism overrides the braking system. The invention also encompasses the method of sorting mail which comprises the steps of receiving a load of mail to be sorted at a stationary receiving station, sorting same according to destination, and placing it thus sorted into selected receptacles repeatedly circulating past the station. The invention further encompasses the distribution method for redistributing the mail thus sorted which consists of removing the mail-receiving receptacles, emptying same and returning the empty receptacles to the circulation system while the latter remains in motion and in use for the mail-sorting function.

Claims

1. AM APPARATUS FOR SORTING MAIL WHICH COMPRISES:

A STATIONARY BASE;

A MOVABLE SUBASSEMBLY MOUNTED ATOP THE BASE FOR ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS, SAID SUBASSEMBLY INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF RADIALLY-EXTENDING PARTITION WALLS DRIVING THE EXTERIOR THEREOF INTO COMPARTMENTS, HORIZONTALLY-DISPOSED SHELVED BRIDGING THE SPACE SEPARATING AT LEAST SOME OF THE ADJACENT PARTITION WALLS SUBDIVIDING THE COMPARTMENT DEFINED THEREBETWEEN INTO TWO OR MORE PIGEONHOLES ARRANGED ONE ABOVE ANOTHER IN TIERED RELATION, AND DRAWER-LIKE MAIL-REVEIVING BINS REMOVABLY MOUNTED WITHIN THE PIGEONHOLES;

FRICTION DRIVE MEANS FOR ROTATING THE MOVABLE SUBASSEMBLY INCLUDING A MOTOR CARRIED BY ONE OF SAID BASE AND MOVABLE SEBASSEMBLY ELEMENTS AND A DRIVEN FRICTION WHEEL IN CONTINUOUS DRIVING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE OTHER OF SAID ELEMENTS;

AND, FRICTION BRAKE MEANS FOR PREVENTING RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID BASE AND ROTATING SUBASSEMBLY INCLUDING BRAKE SHOE FORMING MEANS CARRIED BY ONE OF SAID BASE AND ROTATING SUBASSEMBLY ELEMEMTS IN CONTINUOUS CONTACT WITH THE OTHER OF SAID ELEMENTS, SAID FRICTION BRAKE MEANS BEING AUTOMATICALLY OPERATIVE TO OVERDRIVE THE FRICTION DRIVE MEANS AND STOP THE ROTATING SUBASSEMBLY WHEN THE SPEED OF THE LATTER IS SLOWED DOWN BELOW A PREDETERMINED LEVEL, AND SAID FRICTION DRIVE MEANS BEING AUTOMATICALLY OPERATIVE TO OVERRIDE SAID FRICTION BRAKE MEANS AND KEEP SAID RORATING SUBASSEMBLY TURNING WHEN THE SPEED THEREOF EXCEEDS SAID PREDETERMINED LEVEL.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which:

at least one compartment is left sufficiently free of shelves to accommodate a mailbag hung therein; and

, in which clip means for detachably supporting a mailbag within said shelf-free compartment are mounted upon the opposed surfaces of the partition walls defining same.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which:

the friction brake means is carried by the rotating assembly for rotation therewith and the brake shoe forming means contacts the base.

4. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which:

means are located on each shelf adjacent the front edge thereof effective to support the front end of a bin resting thereon and tilt same rearwardly.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4 in which:

the bin-lifting means are of a size effective to raise the bins to a level where the fingers can be inserted therebeneath.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 which includes:

at least one stationary mail-receiving station located alongside the movable subassembly.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 6 in which:

the mail-receiving station comprises an elongate tray-like receptacle extending outward radially from the movable subassembly.

8. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 which includes:

two or more stationary mail-receiving stations grouped around the movable subassembly in angularly-spaced relation to one another.

9. The apparatus as set forth in claim 8 in which:

a mail collection and distribution station is positioned in the space between adjacent receiving stations on an intermittent basis.

10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which:

the friction drive means is pivotally mounted on the base for rockable movement about a substantially horizontal axis; and

, in which first spring means connected to the friction drive means continuously biases the friction drive wheel into driving engagement with the rotating subassembly.

11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10 in which:

the axis of pivotal movement is displaced toward the friction wheel so as to produce an imbalanced condition effective to assist the spring means in maintaining said friction wheel in driving engagement with said rotating subassembly.

12. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10 in which:

first bias adjustment means is associated with said first spring means operative upon actuation to vary the load of the friction wheel against the movable subassembly.

13. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which:

the brake shoe forming means of the friction brake means comprises an idler wheel in continuous rolling engagement with said other of said elements; and

, in which said friction brake means also includes a brake disc with an undulating surface having a hump therein mounted on one side of said idler wheel for conjoint rotation therewith and a spring-biased pin carried by the same element as said idler wheel poSitioned to make sliding contact with the undulating surface of said brake disc as said idler wheel turns, said friction drive means being ineffective to turn the rotating subassembly with sufficient force to move the hump in the surface of the undulating disc past the pin when the idler wheel is stopped, and the biasing force on said pin being ineffective to stop said idler wheel from turning when the rotating subassembly is turning.

14. The apparatus as set forth in claim 13 in which:

a compression spring biases the pin into continuous engagement with the brake disc; and

, in which second bias adjustment means is associated with said compression spring operative upon actuation to vary the biasing force.

15. The apparatus as set forth in claim 13 in which:

the idler wheel is mounted for rotation about an axis tiltable in a plane containing the point of tangency between said wheel and the surface of said other of said elements upon which it rolls.

16. The apparatus as set forth in claim 13 in which:

second spring means is connected to the idler wheel normally biasing same into rolling engagement with said other of said elements.

17. The apparatus as set forth in claim 16 in which:

third bias adjustment means is associated with said second spring means operative upon actuation to vary the biasing force with which said pin is urged against said undulating disc.

18. IN THE METHOD FOR SORTING MAIL WHEREIN THE MAIL TO BE SORTED IS SORTED ACCORDING ADDRESSES AND PLACED IN PIGEONHOLES CORRESPONDING TO SAID ADDRESSEE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES CIRCULATING SAID PIGEONHOLES REPEATEDLY PAST A FIXED SORTING STATION WHERE THE OPERATOR CAN STAY IN ONE PLACE AND SORT THE MAIL INTO THE APPROPRIATED PIGEONHOLES AS THEY MOVE PAST.

19. The improved method as set forth in claim 18 in which two or more fixed sorting stations are grouped around a common set of circulating pigeonholes so that the respective operators can each sort into the same pigeonholes from different locations without interfering with one another.

20. The method of sorting mail which comprises the steps of:

collecting the mail to be sorted at at least one fixed station positioned adjacent a rotating station having a plurality of mail-receiving pigeonholes arranged around the periphery thereof visually coded to receive mail addressed to a given destination, sorting the mail at the fixed station and placing same according to destination in the appropriate pigeonhole as it moves past said fixed station.

21. The method as set forth in claim 20 which includes the step of retrieving the mail thus sorted from the pigeonholes as they move past a second fixed station on the periphery thereof.

22. The method of handling mail which comprises the steps of:

delivering the mail to be sorted to two or more receiving stations grouped in fixed angularly-spaced relation around a common collection station having a plurality of removable visually-coded mail-receiving receptacles repeatedly circulating past each of said receiving stations in succession, sorting the mail at each receiving station according to destination and inserting same thus sorted into the appropriate mail-receiving receptacle as it moves by, periodially removing the receptacles and emptying same as they move past a fixed position between receiving stations, and replacing the receptacle thus emptied on a subsequent pass.