Card sorting method and apparatus

• US 4,921,109 A
• Filed: 02/16/1988
• Issued: 05/01/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Shibuya Computer Service Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Shibuya Computer Service Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Kanazawa, Shigeru, Hasuo, Shigetsuyo, Kadokura, Takamitsu, Kenmochi, Teruo
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald T.
• Application Number:
  US07/158,116
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• Field of Search: 209/547, 209/552, 209/559, 209/564, 209/565, 209/583, 209/584, 209/900
• US Class Current: 209/552
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/08 Sorting, i.e. grouping record carriers in numerical or other ordered sequence according to the classification of at least some of the information they carry by merging two or more sets of carriers in ordered sequence G06F7/16
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/90 Sorting flat-type mail

Abstract

A card sorting apparatus includes at least two card stackers, a sensor for reading characters, symbols and the like attached to the cards, a card rack for holding a plurality of cards, and a memory for storing information indicative of the cards held by the card rack. The card rack is connected to at least one of the card stackers accommodating cards. A predetermined number of cards are first transferred to the card rack and a comparison is performed between a group of cards in the card rack and cards transferred to the card rack next. Cards satisfying comparison conditions are fed into either of the card stackers and cards are sorted in advance between the card rack and card stacker. Also provided is a card sorting rack for the sorting apparatus, the rack having a plurality of card supporting members for supporting cards, and a moving member for selectively moving at least one of the card supporting members to extract the corresponding card.

Claims

1. A card sorting method for sorting cards into a predetermined order based on characters or numerals borne by said cards, comprising the steps of:

(a) initially accommodating a plurality of cards to be arranged in one of plural card accommodating means (101, (1), (2);

(b) reading characters or numerals borne by cards selected to be delivered from one of said plural card accommodating means to a card holding means (103), (5);

(c) delivering a predetermined number of read cards to said card holding means from one of said plural card accommodating means;

(d) comparing cards held in said card holding means with one another;

(e) delivering a card which meets a selecting condition corresponding to said predetermined order in said card holding means to a receiving section (28,

     29) of one of said plural card accommodating means to empty one portion of said card holding means (5);

(f) replenishing said portion of said card holding means from which a card has been delivered to a said receiving section with a read card from said one of plural card accommodating means; and

(g) repeating steps (d) through (f) until all of said plurality of cards initially accommodated in one of said plural card accommodating means have been read once and selected to be arranged in at least one of said plural card accommodating means, and said card holding means contains no cards;

(h) and thereafter, if more than one of the plurality of card accommodating means accommodate cards which are not arranged in said predetermined order then causing the merging of the plurality of arranged cards between said plurality of card accommodating means until all cards are arranged in the predetermined order in a single one of said card accommodating means.

2. A card sorting apparatus for sorting a plurality of cards in a predetermined order based on characters or numerals borne by said cards comprising:

a plurality of card accommodating means, including a main card accommodating means (1) and at least one further card accommodating means (2) said main accommodating means initially accommodating a plurality of said cards;

each of said card accommodating means having a receiving section (28,

     29) provided to receive said cards, and a delivery section for delivering the cards;

stacking means (22,

     21) for stacking cards in sequence as an input queue in each said card accommodating means as cards are received from said receiving section (28,

     29), and for moving cards to said delivery section (25,

     26);

card delivery means (23,

     24) for delivering cards from said delivery section (25,

     26) in said card accommodating means;

card holding means (5) for holding a plurality of cards delivered from said delivery section (25) of said main card accommodating means (1);

reading means (3,

     4) for reading numerals borne by cards to be delivered by said card delivery means (23,

     24) from said main card accommodating means to said card holding means (5);

card transfer means (102) for feeding and transferring cards from said delivering means between said plurality of card accommodating means and said card holding means;

memory means for storing values of said numerals or characters read by said reading means, and for storing the values of the cards held by said card holding means (5); and

control means (100) causing, for the purpose of arranging said cards, the transfer a predetermined number of cards accommodated in said main card accommodating means (1) to said card holding means (5) by controlling said cards delivery means (23) and said card transfer means (102), and for comparing the values of each card held in said card holding means (5) with all other cards held in said holding means (5), and for delivering a card satisfying selection criterion to one of said input queues in the corresponding card accommodating means (1);

wherein all cards in said card holding means (5) are compared with each other and those cards which have finished being compared are rearranged in said input queues in an order according to their read value in at least one of said plural card accommodating means until said cards originally accommodated in said main card accommodating means (1) are all rearranged in said input queues;

said control means being further operable for causing said cards in said input queues to be resorted and to be arranged in the predetermined order in said main card accommodating means to complete the sorting when said cards are rearranged in said input queues in a plurality of said card accommodating means.