Device and method for sorting mailed pieces

• US 5,994,657 A
• Filed: 07/25/1997
• Issued: 11/30/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Grapha-Holding Ag (Rudolf B Mueller)
• Inventors: Oppliger, Jean-Claude, Maier, Wilhelm
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tuan N.
• Application Number:
  US08/900,451
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 209/552, 209/584, 209/655, 209/698, 209/900, 209/919, 198/370.05, 198/704
• US Class Current: 209/584
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/02 Apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution
• 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: B65H 2220/01 indicating an entity as a function of which control, adjustment or change is performed, i.e. input
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/4476 Endless transport devices with compartments
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2405/352 in closed loop
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/90 Sorting flat-type mail
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/919 Rotary feed conveyor

Abstract

A device and method for sorting flat mailed pieces. The mailed pieces are individually transferred to conveying cells which can be conveyed one behind the other along a conveying path and are delivered to receptacles which are arranged along the conveying path. The mailed pieces are transferred by a transfer device to the conveying cells. The main planes of the mailed pieces (14) are oriented essentially vertically. The receptacles for the mailed pieces conveyed by the conveying cells are determined on the basis of a preset sequence of all possible mailing addresses, the mailing addresses of all mailed piece transferred to the conveying cells, and the association data representing the association between the individual mailed pieces and the conveying cells.

Claims

1. A method for transferring mailed pieces arranged in an arbitrary sequence into a sequence ordered by their mailing addresses and fixed for a multitude of possible mailing addresses comprising the steps of:

individually transferring the mailed pieces in an arbitrary sequence to a respective conveying cell of a number of conveying cells, said conveying cells being conveyed one behind the other along a conveying path in a closed conveying loop;

determining association data representing an association between each conveying cell and the mailed piece transferred to the respective conveying cell;

selectively delivering the mailed pieces in response to delivery signals generated on the basis of the association data so that the mailed pieces are delivered in accordance with the ordered sequence to respectively one receptacle of a number of receptacles disposed one behind the other along a delivery section of the conveying path; and

determining the respective receptacle on the basis of the ordered sequence of the mailing addresses of all the mailed pieces transferred to the conveying cells and of the association data for each of the mailed pieces transferred to the conveying cells, the position of the respective receptacle in the sequence of receptacles along the delivery section corresponding to the position of the mailing address of the respective mailed piece in the ordered sequence of the mailing addresses of all mailed pieces transferred to the conveying cells,

wherein the mailed pieces are transferred to the conveying cells during a first circulation of the conveying cells around the conveying loop, then the respective receptacle is determined for each transferred mailed piece, and the mailed pieces are delivered to the receptacles during a second circulation of the conveying cells around the conveying loop.