Storage bin for letters and flat pieces of mail

• US 7,527,154 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2005
• Issued: 05/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solystic
• Original Assignee: Solystic
• Inventors: Campagnolle, Pierre, Kara, Karim, Abraham, Daniel, Duclot, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Mackey; Patrick H
• Assistant Examiner(s): KUMAR, KALYANAVENKA K
• Application Number:
  US11/157,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20060113362A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,413 Days
• Field of Search: 209/630, 209/614, 220/507, 220/608, 220/669, 220/670, 229/120.02, 206/509, 206/511, 232229- 32, 232/43.2
• US Class Current: 209/630
• 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 postal sorting machine for sorting flat mail items comprising storage bins and a bucket carousel with buckets for conveying mail items above a plurality of storage bins, characterized in that said buckets are each extending vertically with an inclination of approximately 60°

relative to the horizontal, in that each storage bin is substantially rectangular block shaped with an opened top portion and a bottom portion surrounded by outside walls which flare from said top portion towards said bottom portion, in that said bottom portion of each storage bin comprises two inclined inside walls that in section form a V-shape when said storage bin is disposed with said top portion extending substantially horizontally under said moving buckets, one of said inclined inside walls constituting a jogging wall inclined at approximately 70°

relative to the horizontal against which an edge of a mail item is coming into alignment in the bottom of the bin and the other of said inclined inside walls constituting a landing wall inclined at approximately 40°

with respect to the horizontal along which a mail item is landing flat in the bottom of the bin, and in that each storage bin is disposed horizontally with respect to an inclined bucket moving above said storage bin so that a mail item which is leaving by gravity said bucket with a certain angular position is landing flat on said landing inclined wall of said storage bin after following a parabolic path without its angular position being modified and being jogged on edge against said jogging inclined wall of said storage bin.

2. A. postal sorting machine according to claim 1, in which the two inclined inside walls of said bottom portion of a storage bin comprise two upper ends which are vertically offset relative to one another.

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

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

relative to the horizontal.

4. A postal sorting machine according to claim 1, in which one or both of the inclined inside walls of the bottom portion of the bin is/are perforated.

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

6. A postal sorting machine according to claim 1, in which one of the inclined inside walls of the bottom portion of the bin has an undulating profile, and the other inclined inside wall has a perforated profile.

7. A postal sorting machine according to claim 1, in which the bottom portion of a bin is removable relative to the outside walls of the bin.