Mail sorting system and process

• US 5,881,890 A
• Filed: 06/21/1996
• Issued: 03/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: D&K Wiley Enterprises, LLC
• Original Assignee: Ken Wiley
• Inventors: Wiley, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Bollinger, David H.
• Application Number:
  US08/668,214
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 209/584, 209/549, 209/702, 209/703, 209/706, 209/900, 364/478.12, 364/478.14
• US Class Current: 209/703
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 7/005 Computer assisted manual sorting, e.g. for mail
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 7/04 Apparatus or accessories for hand picking
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/90 Sorting flat-type mail

Abstract

The system includes a plurality of bins. Each bin has electrical circuitry including an infrared emitter and detector, a guiding light and a warning light. The circuitry of each bin is controlled by a computer and an input/output controller. The computer reads the bar code address on the envelope via a scanner. The address can also be typed in from the keyboard or input by speaking into a mike. The computer searches through its'"'"' data base for the address and then sends the bin number for that address to the Input/Output Controller. The I/O Controller includes a plurality of input lines leading from the detectors and a plurality of output lines leading to the guiding lights and warning lights of the bins. When the computer sends the address number to the I/O Controller, the I/O Controller lights the correct guiding light. If the mail piece is sensed in that bin, the guiding light in that bin goes off and the next piece of mail can be scanned. If the mail piece is placed in any other bin the warning light of that other bin comes on and the guiding light of the correct bin stays on to show the correct bin the mail piece should go in. When the mail piece is taken out of the incorrect bin and placed in the correct bin the warning light and the guiding light go off and the computer is ready to scan the next envelope.

Claims

1. A system for use for sorting mail pieces or the like, wherein each mail piece has a code number thereon, comprising,

structure forming a plurality of bins for receiving mail pieces,

a sensing means, warning light and a guiding light located at each of said bins,

a computer,

an input/output means coupled to said computer,

mail code identifying means coupled to said computer for identifying the mail codes of the mail pieces,

an input line coupled from each sensing means to said input/output device,

an output line coupled from said input/output means to each of said warning lights and to each of said guiding lights.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said computer is programmed to:

identify the mail codes of the mail pieces and assign bin numbers to the mail codes,

read the mail codes and cause said input/output means to turn on the guiding light of the bin associated with each mail code read,

cause said input/output means to turn off the guiding light of an associated bin when a mail piece is placed in the associated bin and sensed by the sensing means in the associated bin,

cause said input/output means to turn on the warning light of a non-associated bin when a mail piece is placed in the non-associated bin and sensed by the sensing means in the non-associated bin,

cause said input/output means to turn off the warning light of the non-associated bin and to turn off the guiding light of the associated bin when the mail piece is removed from the non-associated bin and placed in the associated bin and sensed by the sensing means of the associated bin.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said computer comprises a computer readable memory and a program stored in said computer readable memory to:

identify the mail codes of the mail pieces and assign bin numbers to the mail codes,

read the mail codes and cause said input/output means to turn on the guiding light of the bin associated with each mail code read,

cause said input/output means to turn off the guiding light of an associated bin when a mail piece is placed in the associated bin and sensed by the sensing means in the associated bin,

cause said input/output means to turn on the warning light of a non-associated bin when a mail piece is placed of the non-associated and sensed by the sensing means of the non-associated bin,

cause said input/output means to turn off the warning light in the non-associated bin and to turn off the guiding light of the associated bin when the mail piece is removed from the non-associated bin and placed in the associated bin and sensed by the sensing means of the associated bin.

4. A method of sorting mail pieces for placement in appropriate bins wherein each of said mail pieces has a mail code thereon and a guiding light, a warning light and a sensing means are located at each of said bins, comprising the steps of:

reading the mail codes of the mail pieces,

identifying the mail codes of the mail pieces and assigning bin numbers to each mail code read,

for each mail code read, turning on the guiding light of the bin associated with said mail code read,

placing said mail piece having its mail code read in said associated bin to cause said sensing means to sense said mail piece to turn said guiding light off,

in the event that a mail piece is placed in a non-associated bin, causing the sensing means of said non-associated bin to turn on the warning light of said non-associated bin,

removing said mail piece from said non-associated bin and placing said mail piece removed from said non-associated bin into the correct associated bin to turn off the warning light of said non-associated bin and to turn off said guiding light of said associated bin.

5. A method of sorting mail pieces for placement in appropriate bins wherein each of said mail pieces has a mail code thereon and a guiding light, a warning light and a sensing means are located at each of said bins, comprising the steps of:

reading the mail codes of the mail pieces,

identifying the mail codes of the mail pieces and assigning bin numbers to each mail code read,

for each mail code read, turning on the guiding light of the bin associated with said mail code read,

placing a mail piece having its mail code read in a non-associated bin, causing the sensing means of said non-associated bin to turn on the warning light of as non-associated bin,

removing said mail piece from said non-associated bin and placing said mail piece removed from said non-associated bin into the correct associated bin to turn off the warning light of said non-associated bin and to turn off said guiding light of said associated bin.