Method and system for sorting flat articles

• US 6,183,191 B1
• Filed: 10/09/1998
• Issued: 02/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens Logistics LLC (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens ElectroCom, L.P.
• Inventors: Dunn, Morgan H., Mondie, George R., Isaacs, Gerald A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bratlie, Steven A.
• Application Number:
  US09/169,467
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: 414/411, 414/417, 414/278, 414/280, 414/807, 198/412
• US Class Current: 414/807
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 1/00 Measures preceding sorting according to destination
• 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 2220/02 indicating an entity which is controlled, adjusted or changed by a control process, i.e. output
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/42254 Boxes; Cassettes; Containers
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/15 Height, e.g. of stack
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/40 Identification
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2513/42 Route, path
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/1916 Envelopes and articles of mail
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 39/10 Associating articles from a single source, to form, e.g. a writing-pad laminating B32B37/00, B32B38/00

Abstract

A flat article turntable for use in a flat article sorting system having a flat article holding cartridge, a cartridge handling mechanism and an automatic flat article feeder is provided with an empty cartridge presentation mechanism for presenting empty cartridges to a cartridge handling system. A full cartridge acceptor mechanism for receiving full cartridges from the cartridge handler system. A rotary mechanism is provided for rotating a full cartridge 90°. An index mechanism is provided to matingly index the cartridges with the automatic feeder of the sorting system. An extraction mechanism is provide including a cartridge opener for opening the cartridge. A pushing mechanism is operatively connected for pushing stacked articles from the cartridge. A pause mechanism is interconnected to allow a finger on the automatic feeder to take the stacked articles, and a closing mechanism is attached to close the cartridge. A rotating mechanism rotates the cartridge back to face the cartridge handler and an index mechanism indexes the empty cartridge from an active to a passive side of the turntable.

Claims

1. A method for sorting flat articles according to a sort plan, comprising the steps of:

feeding flat articles to be sorted into an automated sorting machine which scans each article;

routing the flat articles from the sorter one at a time to a stacker module which has a series of stacker interface mechanisms releaseably securable to cartridges for receiving the flat articles;

diverting each flat article into a destination cartridge according to the sort plan, forming a stack of articles in each cartridge as additional articles are sent diverted to each cartridge;

whenever one of the removable cartridges is substantially full, determining a new destination cartridge for articles that would otherwise have been sorted to the full cartridge and ceasing to divert articles to the full cartridge, removing the full cartridge and transporting it to a buffer rack, and replacing an empty cartridge into the stacker interface from which the full cartridge was removed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising repeating all of the steps until all of the flat articles have been sorted.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, after all of the flat articles have been sorted, a purge step of removing all of the cartridges from the stacker interface to the buffer rack.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the diverting step comprises opening a sweep gate of the stacker interface so that the flat article is positioned on one side of a horizontal stack within the cartridge.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the cartridge has a movable stack support therein which moves rearwardly as additional articles are added to the stack in that cartridge.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of removing the full cartridge comprises:

closing the sweep gate so that no more articles are diverted to the full cartridge; and

closing a movable gate at one end of the cartridge during removal of the cartridge from the stacker interface to retain the stacked articles in the cartridge.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of replacing an empty cartridge comprises:

opening the movable gate at one end of the cartridge during insertion of the cartridge into the stacker interface so that the cartridge can receive articles therein.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the flat articles comprise mail pieces and the sort plan comprises a postal sorting scheme.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of removing the full cartridge and replacing an empty cartridge into the stacker interface from which the full cartridge was removed are carried out using a robot having a pair of mail cartridge handlers positioned side by side and capable of carrying two cartridges at a time, which robot transports cartridges between the buffer rack and the stacker module.