Storage bin for letters and flat pieces of mail

• US 20060113362A1
• Filed: 06/22/2005
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solystic
• Original Assignee: Solystic
• Inventors: Kara, Karim, Abraham, Daniel, Duclot, Christian, Campagnolle, Pierre
• Granted Patent: US 7,527,154 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 229/120.20
• 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: B65H 2301/42254 Boxes; Cassettes; Containers
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2405/1115 with surface inclined, e.g. in width-wise direction
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2405/1412 Ribs extending in parallel to feeding/delivery direction
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/1916 Envelopes and articles of mail
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 31/02 with stationary end support against which pile accumulates
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 31/22 removable or interchangeable

Abstract

A storage bin for mail items comprises a plurality of side walls and a bottom. The bottom comprises two walls that are inclined one relative to the other, one of the two walls constituting a jogging wall for jogging the mail items into alignment in the bottom of the storage bin.

Claims

1. A storage bin that is substantially rectangular block shaped for storing mail items in the sorting outlets of a postal sorting machine, said storage bin comprising a bottom surrounded by side walls defining a horizontal top portion of the bin and a horizontal bottom portion of the bin, wherein the bottom of the bin is made up of two inclined walls that, in section, form a V-shape having a base disposed in the bottom portion of the bin and branches that extend towards the horizontal top portion of the bin while being inclined relative to the horizontal bottom portion of the bin, and wherein the side walls of the bin flare going towards the bottom of the bin.

2. A storage bin according to claim 1, in which, relative to the horizontal, the ends of the two inclined walls are offset vertically.

3. A storage bin according to claim 1, in which, when the top portion of the bin is in the horizontal position, a first wall of the bottom forms an angle of about 40°

relative to the horizontal, and a second wall of the bottom forms an angle of about 70°

relative to the horizontal.

4. A storage bin according to claim 1, in which one or both of the inclined walls of the bottom of the bin is/are perforated.

5. A storage bin according to claim 1, in which one or both of the inclined walls of the bottom of the bin is/are undulating in profile.

6. A storage bin according to claim 1, in which one of the inclined walls of the bottom of the bin has an undulating profile, and the other has a perforated profile.

7. A storage bin according to claim 1, in which the bottom of the bin that is made up of the two inclined walls is removable relative to the side walls of the bin.

8. A postal sorting machine for sorting mail items, the machine having buckets for moving the mail items above a plurality of storage bins according to claim 1, in which machine each mail item that leaves a bucket follows a path until it lands in a storage bin, one of the two inclined walls of a storage bin constituting a jogging wall for jogging the mail items into alignment in the bottom of the bin, and the other of the two inclined walls of the storage bin constituting a landing wall for receiving the mail items in the bottom of the bin, and in which machine the jogging wall of the bin is inclined such as to be substantially tangential to the path of the mail item and the landing wall of the bin is inclined such that a mail item lands flat on it.