Small flats sorter

• US 5,695,071 A
• Filed: 09/03/1996
• Issued: 12/09/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens Dematic Corp. (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Electrocom Gard Ltd.
• Inventors: Novak, David, Ross, Gerald David, Sadler, Robert Earl Jr., Dorth, Gunther Adam, Buday, John Martin Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TUAN N
• Application Number:
  US08/697,999
• Time in Patent Office: 462 Days
• Field of Search: 209/584, 209/615, 209/616, 209/653, 209/900, 209/912, 209/916, 209/917, 198/358, 198/367, 198/475.1, 198/477.1, 198/530, 198/799, 198/800, 198/483.1, 271/184, 271/198, 271/306, 271/307, 271/308, 271/300
• US Class Current: 209/616
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/008 Means for collecting objects, e.g. containers for sorted mail items pile receivers in general B65H31/00
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/06 Linear sorting machines in which articles are removed from a stream at selected points
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/082 In which the objects are carried by transport holders and the transport holders form part of the conveyor belts conveyors with carriers B65G47/00
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 17/123 arranged to keep the load-carriers horizontally during at least a part of the conveyor run
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2201/02 Articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2203/043 Magnetic
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2203/044 Optical
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/763 Fixed ploughs or transverse scrapers
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/766 Adjustable ploughs or transverse scrapers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/90 Sorting flat-type mail

Abstract

A system and a method for sorting are provided for distributing articles, such as mail pieces or other flats, to predetermined destinations. At the destination, the particular article is raked by a raking assembly from a carrier for placement into a container. The container, when full, is gravity fed onto a discharge conveyor and automatically replaced with a new empty container. The carrier operates on two levels for delivery of articles to containers on two levels while maintaining the carriers in a horizontal position throughout the sorting process. A sloped front end of the carrier allows the articles to be transported at a rapid speed and in a continuous fashion.

Claims

1. A method for sorting mail pieces, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a first pair of sprockets secured at a predetermined distance therebetween having a first transport chain mounted to rotate thereon;

providing a second pair of sprockets secured at the predetermined distance therebetween having a second transport chain mounted to rotate thereon wherein the second pair of sprockets are longitudinally and laterally displaced, but not vertically displaced, from the first pair of sprockets;

feeding the mail pieces onto a plurality of carriers each having a grooved, horizontally planar bottom surface wherein each of the plurality of carriers is horizontally and directly secured and maintained at opposite corners on opposite sides between the first transport chain and the second transport chain to hold at least one mail piece flushly on the grooved bottom surface and further wherein the carriers have sloped ends that extend in a first position in a direction away from the planar, bottom surface and a second position that is parallel to the planar, bottom surface wherein each of the ends are maintained in opposite positions;

transporting the mail pieces on each of the plurality of carriers wherein the transporting occurs on two horizontal planes; and

removing one of the mail pieces from the grooved bottom surface of each of the plurality of carriers during transport wherein each of the mail pieces is designated for a specific bin.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

sensing for removal of each mail piece from each of the plurality of carriers.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

maintaining each of the plurality of carriers horizontally during transport of the carriers about the two horizontal planes.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

providing at least one groove in each of the plurality of carriers.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

retarding the mail piece on each of the plurality of carriers during transport of the mail pieces.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

providing alternating front sloped ends dependent on the direction of transport of the carriers on the two vertical planes.

7. A system for sorting mail pieces received from an inserter, the system comprising:

a first pair of sprockets secured at a predetermined distance therebetween;

a second pair of sprockets secured at the predetermined distance therebetween wherein the second pair of sprockets are longitudinally and laterally displaced, but not vertically displaced, from the first pair of sprockets;

a first transport chain mounted to rotate about the first pair of sprockets;

a second transport chain mounted to rotate about the second pair of sprockets;

a plurality of carriers each having a carrying surface, the carriers secured by directly supporting opposite corners on opposite sides of each carrier between the first transport chain and the second transport chain to maintain each of the carrying surfaces of the plurality of carriers in a horizontal position between two levels during transport of the plurality of carriers and further wherein the carriers have sloped ends that extend in a first position in a direction away from the carrying surface and a second position that is parallel to the carrying surface wherein each of the ends are maintained in opposite positions;

a first plurality of bins stacked between the first pair of sprockets and the second pair of sprockets to receive the mail pieces from the carriers;

a rake assembly above each of the plurality of bins for removing a designated mail piece from at least one of the carriers into one of the bins; and

a sensor monitoring for presence or absence of a mail piece on each of the plurality of carriers, the sensor constructed and arranged at the inserter of the mail pieces.

8. A method for sorting mail pieces received from an inserter, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a first pair of sprockets secured at a predetermined distance therebetween having a first transport chain mounted to rotate thereon;

providing a second pair of sprockets secured at the predetermined distance therebetween having a second transport chain mounted to rotate thereon wherein the second pair of sprockets are longitudinally and laterally displaced, but not vertically displaced, from the first pair of sprockets;

feeding the mail pieces onto a plurality of carriers each having a grooved, horizontally planar bottom surface wherein each of the plurality of carriers is horizontally and directly secured and maintained at opposite corners on opposite sides between the first transport chain and the second transport chain to hold at least one mail piece flushly on the grooved bottom surface and further wherein the carriers have sloped ends that extend in a first position in a direction away from the planar, bottom surface and a second position that is parallel to the planar, bottom surface wherein each of the ends are maintained in opposite positions;

transporting the mail pieces on each of the plurality of carriers wherein the transporting occurs on two horizontal planes;

removing one of the mail pieces from the grooved bottom surface of each of the plurality of carriers during transport wherein each of the mail pieces is designated for a specific bin; and

sensing for removal of each mail piece from each of the plurality of carriers wherein a sensor is constructed and arranged at the inserter to sense presence or absence of a mail piece on each of the plurality of carriers.