Mail sequencing system

• US 6,946,612 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2003
• Issued: 09/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Morikawa, Hajime
• Primary Examiner(s): Walsh, Donald R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller, Jonathan R.
• Application Number:
  US10/351,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20030141226A1
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• Field of Search: 209/584, 209/900, 700219-221, 700223-226, 700/228, 700/230, 414/928, 414/929
• US Class Current: 209/584
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/18 using a single stationary weighing mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 209/90 Sorting flat-type mail

Abstract

A mail sequencing system has, its top surface part, a tray storage. A non-standard-size mail supplied from a mail supplying unit is read by a bar code reader. The mail is stacked in a predetermined sorting bin based on the information. A tray onto which the mail is stacked is carried sequentially from the sorting bin to the tray storage and is supplied via a spiral chute to the mail supplying unit again to perform the second sorting. The destination of the mail can be automatically further sorted.

Claims

1. A mail sequencing system, comprising:

a mail supplying unit for reading mail information;

a sorting unit comprising a plurality of sorting bins

a tray supplying unit for supplying trays to said plurality of sorting bins;

a mail carrying unit for carrying mail from said mail supplying unit to a sorting bin of said plurality of sorting bins based on said mail information of the carried mail, and deposit the carried mail on a tray provided in the sorting bin;

a tray storage unit for storing trays, said tray storage unit being arranged at least partially on top of at least one of said sorting unit, said mail supplying unit and said mail carrying unit;

a first tray carrying unit for carrying the tray with deposited mail from the sorting unit to the tray storage unit; and

a second tray carrying unit for carrying the tray with deposited mail from the tray storage unit to said mail supplying unit, wherein the mail deposited on the tray may be resupplied to said mail supplying unit.

2. The mail sequencing system according to claim 1, wherein said tray storage unit comprises:

conveyers for carrying the tray;

a plurality of storage units arranged adjacent to the conveyers which can store the tray; and

a tray moving unit for moving the tray between said conveyers and each of the storage units.

3. The mail sequencing system according to claim 2, further comprising a control part, wherein when a space is formed in a storage unit of the tray storage, the control part can sequentially move a tray located in another part of the storage unit to the space.

4. The mail sequencing system according to claim 1, wherein said tray storage unit comprises:

a first storage area for storing a first full tray;

a second storage area for storing a second full tray; and

a third tray storage area for storing trays moved from the sorting bins after a predetermined number of mails have been processed by said mail supplying unit and said mail carrying unit.

5. The mail sequencing system according to claim 1, wherein said tray storage unit comprises a work storage area for arraying trays.

6. The mail sequencing system according to claim 4, wherein said work storage area is used for arraying trays with mail from the same sorting bin together.

7. The mail sequencing system according to claim 1, further comprising a carrying box for holding mail;

wherein said mail supplying unit puts mails into said carrying box, and

said mail carrying unit carries the carrying box.

8. The mail sequencing system according to claim 1, wherein the tray supplying unit comprises a tray collecting unit that collects trays which have resupplied mail to the mail supplying unit.

9. The mail sequencing system according to claim 7, wherein the tray supplying unit comprises a tray moving unit for moving one of the collected trays to one of the plurality of sorting bins.

10. The mail sequencing system according to claim 1, further comprising a tray moving unit which can move the trays supplied by the tray supplying unit to the plurality of sorting bins.

11. The mail sequencing system according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of sequencing systems are arrange integrally.

12. The mail sequencing system according to claim 1, wherein the first tray carrying unit comprises a vertical direction carrying part for carrying the tray in the vertical direction and a conveyer part for carrying the tray from the sorting bin of the sorting unit to the vertical direction carrying part.

13. The mail sequencing system according to claim 1, further comprising a tray carrying-in unit for carrying-in a tray including unprocessed mail to the mail supplying unit.

14. The mail sequencing system according to claim 1, wherein after the last mail of a predetermined number of mails to be sorted is deposited onto one of the trays in the sorting bins, the first tray carrying unit carries the trays to the tray storage unit.

15. The mail sequencing system according to claim 1, wherein mail that is resupplied to the mail supplying unit is processed by said mail supplying unit and said mail carrying unit again, and the tray that carried the deposited mail back to the mail supplying unit is collected by a tray collecting unit.

16. A mail sequencing system, comprising:

a mail supplying unit for receiving mail and reading mail information;

a sorting unit comprising a plurality of sorting bins;

a tray disposed in each of said sorting bins;

a mail carrying unit for carrying mail from said mail supplying unit to one of said plurality of sorting bins and for depositing the mail on the tray in said one of said plurality of sorting bins, said one of said plurality of sorting bins being selected based on the mail information of the mail in the carrying unit;

a tray storage unit for storing trays, said tray storage unit being arranged at least partially on top of at least one of said sorting unit, said mail supplying unit and said mail carrying unit;

wherein the tray carrying mail deposited on said tray by said mail carrying unit is moved from said sorting bin to said tray storage unit by a first tray carrying unit, said tray carrying said mail is moved from said tray storage unit to said mail supplying unit by a second tray carrying unit, and wherein said mail carried by said tray is resupplied to said mail supplying unit.

17. The mail sequencing system of claim 16, further comprising a tray carrying-in unit for carrying-in a tray including unprocessed mail to the mail supplying unit.

18. The mail sequencing system of claim 16, further comprising a tray supplying unit for supplying trays each of said plurality of sorting bins.

19. The mail sequencing system according to claim 16, wherein said tray storage unit comprises:

conveyers for carrying the tray;

a plurality of storage units arranged adjacent to the conveyers which can store the tray; and

a tray moving unit for moving the tray between said conveyers and each or the storage units.

20. The mail sequencing system of claim 19, wherein trays carrying mail are arranged in said tray storage unit according to the sorting bin in which the mail was deposited on the trays.