Mail processing system and method of delivering articles to delivery locations therein

• US 7,735,631 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2004
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Berdelle-Hilge, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Hess; Douglas A
• Application Number:
  US10/933,452
• Publication Number:
  US 20090272623A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,111 Days
• Field of Search: 700/214, 700/215, 700/225, 700/226, 700/228, 700/230, 198/341.01, 198/349, 198/349.6, 198/370.01, 198/468.6, 198/468.8, 198/575, 198/572, 198/617, 414/277, 414/809, 209/584, 209/900
• US Class Current: 198/468.6
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 1/00 Measures preceding sorting according to destination
• 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 3/082 In which the objects are carried by transport holders and the transport holders form part of the conveyor belts conveyors with carriers B65G47/00
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/36 Sorting apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution sorting according to destination B07C3/003, B07C3/02

Abstract

A mail processing system that delivers articles to delivery locations includes a predetermined number of casing towers arranged in parallel, wherein each casing tower has a plurality of slots to receive articles. A transport system is associated with the casing towers and configured to guide at least one transport vehicle loaded with an article along a delivery path towards a delivery location. At least one elevator device is coupled to the transport system and configured to receive the transport vehicle at a first level and to index the elevator device to move the transport vehicle from the first level to a second level, where the transport vehicle exits the elevator device to travel along the delivery path.

Claims

1. A mail processing system, comprising:

a first casing tower and a second casing tower arranged in parallel, the first casing tower having a first group of levels and a first group of slots to receive articles, and the second casing tower having a second group of levels and a second group of slots to receive articles;

a transport system associated with the casing towers and configured to guide at least one transport vehicle loaded with an article along a delivery path towards a delivery location;

wherein the first and second casing towers are parts of the same loop, said loop further including a first divert elevator and a first merge elevator, said elevators being configured to receive the transport vehicle at a first level and to index the elevator device to move the transport vehicle from the first level to a second level, where the transport vehicle exits the elevator device to travel along the delivery path;

wherein said first divert elevator is located at an entry side of the first casing tower and the first merge elevator is located at an exit side of the first casing tower;

wherein transport vehicles delivering articles to slots within the first casing tower exit the first divert elevator at the appropriate level of the first casing tower and deliver these articles to slots of the first casing tower; and

wherein the first casing tower further comprises at least one level for transferring transport vehicles from the first divert elevator to the first merge elevator if the destination of the transport vehicle is not within the first casing tower, the first merge elevator being connected to the second casing tower and adapted to transfer those transport vehicles to the second casing tower.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the elevator device includes trays that move in a vertical direction along a closed loop.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the elevator device moves the transport vehicle upwards.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the elevator device moves the transport vehicle downwards.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the elevator device moves the transport vehicle upwards, while it moves another transport vehicle downwards.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one elevator is configured as a paternoster elevator.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second divert elevator, a second merge elevator and a plurality of transport vehicles;

the second casing tower having an entry side, an exit side, and slots;

the second divert elevator located at the entry side of the second casing tower;

the second merge elevator located at the exit side of the second casing tower; and

wherein the plurality of transport vehicles exit the second divert elevator at an appropriate level of the second casing tower and deliver the articles to the slots of the second casing tower.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the second casing tower further includes at least one level for transferring at least one of the plurality of transport vehicles from the second divert elevator to the second merge elevator if a destination of the one of the plurality of transport vehicle is not within the second casing tower; and

the second merge elevator is connected to the first divert elevator.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first merge elevator is connected to the second divert elevator.