Sorting system for organizing randomly ordered route grouped mail in delivery order sequence

• US 5,009,321 A
• Filed: 11/13/1989
• Issued: 04/23/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Keough, Laurence J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald T.
• Application Number:
  US07/434,734
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 209/3.1-3.3, 209/583, 209/584, 209/569, 209/900, 209/552, 209/564, 209/568, 364/478, 382/1, 382/57
• US Class Current: 209/3.1
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/00 Sorting according to destination collating the pages of a book B42C1/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/90 Sorting flat-type mail

Abstract

A multiple-pass sorting system for sorting mail pieces in a sequence corresponding to a mail carrier'"'"'s route includes storage media for storing a database containing a delivery sequence for each address on the carrier'"'"'s route. As mail pieces to be delivered by the carrier are fed into the system, each of the mail pieces are transported to an multiline optical character reader (MLOCR) which reads the address printed on the mail piece. A processor operatively connected to the MLOCR and the storage media determines the sorting sequence representative of the delivery order sequence for each of the mail pieces. The mail pieces are sorted into sorting bins based on a first pass sorting scheme. Subsequent sort passes are required until the mail pieces are in delivery order sequence.

Claims

1. A system for sorting mail pieces for delivery by a mail carrier in a sequence corresponding to the mail carrier'"'"'s route comprising:

a. means for storing a database containing a delivery sequence for each address on the carrier'"'"'s route;

b. means for feeding the mail pieces to be delivered by the carrier;

c. means coupled to the feeding means for reading an address on each of said fed mail pieces;

d. means, operatively connected to said reading means and said storing means, for determining a sorting sequence representative of said delivery sequence for each of the mail pieces;

e. means for printing on each of the mail pieces a sequence code corresponding to said sorting sequence;

f. sort means operatively connected to said determining means for depositing the mail pieces into sorting bins inn accordance with said sorting sequence wherein number of passes through said sort means and number of sorting bins needed to complete the sorting of the mailpieces always depends on the formula X=Yⁿ, where X equals a maximum number of stops on the letter carrier'"'"'s route, Y equals the number of said sorting bins in the sorting system and n equals number of passes through the sorting system to complete the sort, the formula holding true for any number of stops.

2. A system for sorting mail pieces in accordance with claim 1 wherein said reading means reads the address of each mail pieces containing a machine readable address.

3. A system for sorting mail pieces in accordance with claim 2 further comprising means for rejecting mail pieces not containing said machine readable address.

4. A system for sorting mail according to claim 1 wherein said sort means for a first pass sort deposits the mail pieces in the following sequence:

where S represents each sort bin 1 through Y, and where Y is the total number of bins, the mail pieces containing said sequence codes (Y×

Z)+S-Y are deposited into bin S, with Z equal to 1 through Y.

5. A system for sorting mail pieces in accordance with claim 4 wherein said bins are separately emptied after completion of said first pass sort and the mail pieces from bins 1 through Y are sequentially fed through in reverse order the system for a second pass sort beginning with the mail pieces from bin Y.

6. A system for sorting mail pieces in accordance with claim 4 wherein said bins are separately emptied after completion of said first pass sort and the mail pieces from bins 1 through Y are sequentially fed through the system for a secondn pass sort beginning with the mail pieces from bin 1.

7. A system for sorting mail according to claim 6 wherein said second sort pass comprises:

a. means for reading said sequence code on each mail piece; and

b. said sort means depositing each mail piece into one of said sorting bins corresponding to said sequence code.

8. A system for sorting mail pieces in accordance with claim 7 wherein said sort means performs said second pass sort in the following order:

mail pieces having said sequence codes of 1 through [X/Y] are deposited into bin 1, mail pieces having sequence codes of [X/Y]+1 through 2 [X/Y] are deposited into bin 2, and the sequence continues through mail pieces having sequence codes of (Y-1)[X/Y]+1 through X are deposited into bin Y.

9. A system for sorting mail according to claim 7 wherein said sequence code is printed in the form of a bar code and said means for reading said sequence code is a bar code reader.

10. A method for sorting mail in a sequence corresponding to a mail carrier'"'"'s route, comprising the steps of:

(a) storing a database containing a delivery sequence for each address on the carrier'"'"'s route;

(b) reading in a random order the address on each mail piece received at a local office for delivery by the carrier;

(c) comparing said read address of each piece of mail to addresses contained in said database;

(d) determining the delivery sequence by the carrier for each mail piece;

(e) printing a sequence code on each mail piece representative of the sequence in which the carrier would deliver the mail piece; and

performing a multipass sort of the mail pieces in accordance with said sequence code wherein the number of sort passes always is based on a formula X=Yⁿ, wherein X is a maximum number of stops in the carrier'"'"'s route, Y is a number of sorting bins available for sorting and n is the number of sort passes, the formula holding true for any number of stops.