System for automatic loading of mail sorting system

• US 5,915,685 A
• Filed: 06/08/1998
• Issued: 06/29/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Bausch, Guenther, Mok, Josef
• Primary Examiner(s): KRIZEK, JANICE LEE
• Application Number:
  US09/091,016
• Time in Patent Office: 386 Days
• Field of Search: 271/149, 271/152, 271/154, 271/157, 271/162, 414/798.6, 414/798.7, 414/795.8
• US Class Current: 271/157
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 1/025 Devices for the temporary stacking of objects provided with a stacking and destacking device (interstack device)
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/422542 emptying or unloading processes

Abstract

In addition to a separating blade which can pivot in and out and move in the direction of transport at a speed set by the stack pressure of the mail separation device (1) and back again, the proposed system also has a system with two separating blades which can also move in a straight line in the direction of transport and back again and can pivot into and out of the letter conveyor line. In addition, a charging module for automatically loading the system with letters is also provided. Once the letters have been loaded into the two-blade system, the latter moves towards the single separating blade. The single blade then swings out, travels behind the two separating blades which likewise move at a speed set by the stack pressure of the mail separation device (1) and swings back in. The separating blades of the separating blade system then swing out, move into their final position to receive new letters and the single separating blade conveys the letters to the mail separation device.

Claims

1. A system for the automatic loading of material into a mail sorting system, comprising a separating device, a letter conveying track, a separating blade for pivoting in and out of the letter conveying track by means of a traversing and pivoting device (3) that can be moved forward and back again with speed V1, which is controlled via the stack pressure at the separating device and is designed to convey letters in a conveying direction to the separating device, as well as comprising a letter receiving section, characterized in that

a separating blade arrangement (5) is provided, which can also be moved in a transporting direction and pivoted in and out of the letter conveying track by a traversing and pivoting device (8), said arrangement comprising two separating blades, the distance between them being such that during the takeover of the stack of letters (7) it corresponds at least to the inside length of a postal container (6) for the delivered stack of letters (7), wherein the traversing and pivoting devices (3, 8) are arranged on the side of the mail conveying track, in such a way that they do not interfere during their traversing and pivoting operations, and wherein the separating blade arrangement (5) with two separating blades can be moved relative to the single separating blade (4) by at least the length of the largest postal container (6), and in that a loading module is positioned on the side of the conveying track, adjacent the end position of the separating blade arrangement (5) and the letter receiving section (10) and on the side of the traversing and pivoting device (3) for the single separating blade (4), which loading module conveys the letters from the delivered, filled postal containers (6) automatically to the letter receiving section (10), and that a control unit (11) and sensors are provided, which ensure the following sequence of steps:

acceptance of the letter stack (7) into the letter receiving section (10) between the separating blades of the separating blade arrangement (5) while the separating blades are pivoted in;

moving of the letter stack (7), located in the separating blade arrangement (5), until just before the single separating blade (4) that moves with speed V1 in the direction of the separating device (1),

pivoting out of the single separating blade (4) and moving back behind the separating blade arrangement (5), as well as advancing of the separating blade arrangement (5) with the speed V1, controlled via the stack pressure at the separating device (1),

pivoting in of the single separating blade (4) and movement of this blade toward the separating blade arrangement (5) until it is just behind it,

pivoting out of the two separating blades of the separating blade arrangement (5) and advancing of the single separating blade (4) with speed V1, controlled via the stack pressure at the separating device (1),

moving back of the separating blade arrangement (5) to a position adjacent the letter receiving section (10).

2. A system according to claim 1, characterized in that

the loading module has a receiving mechanism (9), attached to a pivoting device (12), for receiving the postal container (6), which receiving mechanism empties the filled postal containers (6) with a pivoting movement onto the letter receiving section (10) between the separating blades of the separating blade arrangement (5).

3. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that

the letter receiving section (10) has a vibrating device for aligning the edges of the letters.

4. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that

the distance between the two separating blades of the separating blade arrangement (5) can be changed, wherein following the takeover of a letter stack (7), the separating blades move toward each other until a certain pressure is exerted onto the separating blades.

5. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that

the filled postal containers (6) are conveyed to the loading module on a conveying belt, designed as a feed section, and once emptied are transported away from the loading module, wherein the feeding cycle is coordinated with the operating cycle of the loading module.

6. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that

the letter conveying track between letter receiving section (10) and separating device (1) consists of a conveyor belt (2), which moves synchronously with the pivoted-in single separating blade (4) as well as with the pivoted-in separating blades of the separating blade arrangement (5) when these blades guide the letter stack (7) toward the separating device (1).

7. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that

the letter conveying track is made of a material with a low friction coefficient.

8. An arrangement according to claim 2, characterized in that the filled postal containers (6) are conveyed to the loading module on a conveying belt, designed as a feed section, and once emptied are transported away from the loading module, wherein the feeding cycle is coordinated with the operating cycle of the loading module.