Sorting system for organizing in one pass randomly order route grouped mail in delivery order

• US 5,042,667 A
• Filed: 11/13/1989
• Issued: 08/27/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Original Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Keough, Laurence J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald T.
• Application Number:
  US07/434,733
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 209/583, 209/584, 209/569, 209/900, 209/564, 209/565, 209/3.1-3.3, 209/552, 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 one-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 which are then stored in a temporary storage bin until the sorting sequence has been determined for all the mail pieces. The mail pieces are then removed from the temporary storage bin and deposited into final sorting bins in an order corresponding to a sorting scheme corresponding to the delivery sequence in the carrier'"'"'s route.

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. temporary storage means operatively connected to said determining means for temporarily storing the mail pieces until said sorting sequence has been determined for each of the mail pieces; and

sort means operatively connected to said temporary storage means for removing the mail pieces from said temporary storage means and depositing the mail pieces into a plurality of sorting bins in accordance with said sorting sequence.

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 pieces in accordance with claim 1 further comprising means for printing a sequence code corresponding to said sorting sequence representative of said delivery sequence on each of the mail pieces.

6. A system for sorting mail pieces in accordance with claim 4 said sort means further comprising a sequence code reading means for reading said sequence code printed on each of the mail pieces.

7. A system for sorting mail according to claim 6 wherein said sequence code reading means is a bar code reader.

8. A system for sorting mail pieces in accordance with claim 4 wherein said sort means sorts in the following order, where X equals number of stops on the carrier'"'"'s route and Y equals number of sorting bins in the sorting system:

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

5. A system for sorting mail according to claim wherein said sequence code is printed in the form of a bar code.

9. 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 order sequence by the carrier for each mail piece;

e) storing the mail pieces in a temporary storage bin until the delivery order sequence is determined for each mail piece;

f) sorting each mail piece in accordance with said delivery order sequence;

g) depositing the sorted mail pieces into sorting bins in accordance with delivery order sequence sorting scheme.

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 order sequence for each mail piece and assigning each mail piece to one of a plurality of sorting bins in accordance to the delivery order sequence;

e) storing the mail pieces in a temporary storage bin;

f) removing from the temporary storage bin each mail piece having a particular delivery order sequence corresponding to one of the delivery order sequences to be deposited first into each of the sorting bins and sorting said mail piece with said particular delivery order sequence into the corresponding sorting bin;

g) removing the remaining mail pieces after the sequence code is determined for each mail piece and sorting the remaining mail pieces into said sorting bins in accordance with said delivery order sequence.