Staging tower above a conveyor

• US 6,659,263 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2001
• Issued: 12/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
• Inventors: Mileaf, Daryl, McConnell, William P., Hendrickson, David Brian, Tilles, David Jerome
• Primary Examiner(s): MACKEY, PATRICK HEWEY
• Application Number:
  US09/820,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20010014270A1
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• Field of Search: 414/254, 414/268, 414/269, 414/331.13, 414/331.17, 198/347.3
• US Class Current: 198/347.3
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/00 Sorting according to destination collating the pages of a book B42C1/00
• 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 3/02 Apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2301/4311 Making personalised books or mail packets according to personal, geographic or demographic data
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/90 Sorting flat-type mail
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/918 Swinging or rotating pusher feeding item

Abstract

A plurality of staging tower assemblies disposed above a conveyor for storing items therein and, more particularly flats mail items, which are then collated in any selected order. Each tower assembly has a plurality of independently operable endless belts below, above, and in a transition zone along the conveyor. The endless belts are driven according to a selected order of collation by a computerized controller.

Claims

1. A staging tower assembly for storing a plurality of items in vertical stacks above a conveyor in a plurality of juxtaposed towers having a conveying path passing transversely through the towers, each tower comprising:

a housing for the tower defining a vertically oriented volume of space;

a shelf storage zone in the housing in the space below the conveying path, for storing a plurality of vertically stacked empty shelves separated by a predetermined pitch between the shelves;

an item storage zone above the conveying path for storing the shelves and items thereon of a stack of items separated by a selected pitch;

a transfer zone between the shelf storage zone and the item storage zone for accommodating the conveyor; and

an elevator mechanism for moving the shelves one at a time from the shelf storage zone, through the transfer zone, and into the item storage zone;

each shelf being capable of picking up said items on the conveyor in the transfer zone and lifting the items into the item storage zone, wherein said conveyor includes a plurality of spaced movable members defining a conveying surface and the shelves include spaced fingers vertically movable through the space between the movable members in response to engagement with the elevator mechanism, wherein the elevator mechanism comprises;

a first endless belt disposed on rotatable pulleys for vertical movement through the shelf storage zone; and

a plurality of spaced lugs extending from the endless belt for engaging and lifting the shelves;

a second endless belt disposed on rotatable pulleys for vertical movement through the transfer zone, and a plurality of lugs on the second endless belt for engaging shelves in the transfer shelves in the transfer zone as the shelves emerge from the top of the shelf storage zone;

a third endless belt disposed on rotatable pulleys in the item storage zone, said third endless belt having lugs extending therefrom for picking up shelves emerging at the top of the transfer zone with the items thereon and lifting the shelves and items into the item storage zone; and

a controller for selectively enabling selected ones of the elevator mechanisms of the respective towers for selectively inserting or extracting items on the conveyor into or from any selected ones of the towers, wherein said controller is a computer programmed to perform the insertion and extraction of any selected items into and from the respective towers in any selected order.

2. The staging tower assembly according to claim 1 wherein said items comprise mail items.

3. A staging tower assembly for storing a plurality of flats mail items in vertical stacks above a conveyor in a plurality of juxtaposed towers having a conveying path passing transversely through the towers, each tower comprising:

a housing for the tower defining a vertically oriented volume of space;

a shelf storage zone in the housing in the space below the conveying path, for storing a plurality of vertically stacked empty shelves separated by a predetermined pitch between the shelves;

a flats mail item storage zone above the conveying path for storing the shelves and flat mail items thereon of a stack of flats mail items separated by a selected pitch;

a transfer zone between the shelf storage zone and the flats mail items storage zone for accommodating the conveyor; and

an elevator mechanism for moving the shelves one at a time from the shelf storage zone, through the transfer zone, and into the item storage zone;

each shelf being capable of picking up said flats mail items on the conveyor in the transfer zone and lifting the flats mail items into the flats mail item storage zone, wherein said conveyor includes a plurality of spaced movable members defining a conveying surface and the shelves include spaced fingers vertically movable through the space between the movable members in response to engagement with the elevator mechanism, wherein the elevator mechanism comprises;

a first endless belt disposed on rotatable pulleys for vertical movement through the shelf storage zone; and

a plurality of spaced lugs extending from the endless belt for engaging and lifting the shelves;

a second endless belt disposed on rotatable pulleys for vertical movement through the transfer zone, and a plurality of lugs on the second endless belt for engaging shelves in the transfer shelves in the transfer zone as the shelves emerge from the top of the shelf storage zone;

a third endless belt disposed on rotatable pulleys in the flats mail items storage zone, said third endless belt having lugs extending therefrom for picking up shelves emerging at the top of the transfer zone with the flats mail items thereon and lifting the shelves and flats mail items into the item storage zone; and

a controller for selectively enabling selected ones of the elevator mechanisms of the respective towers for selectively inserting or extracting said flats mail items on the conveyor into or from any selected ones of the towers, wherein said controller is a computer programmed to perform the insertion and extraction of any of said selected flats mail items into and from the respective towers in any selected order.