Mixed mail sorting machine

US6994220B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Siemens Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

• Holger Schererz · Rehfelde, DE
• Dieter Powollik · Berlin, DE
• Peter Enenkel · Konstanz, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 2, 2001
• Grant date: Feb 7, 2006
• Expiry date: Oct 2, 2021

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B07C3/14
• WIPO field: Chemical engineering
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A mixed mail sorting machine includes a feeder that receives a stack of incoming mail pieces and outputs the mail pieces one at a time in a vertical position; a scanner which receives mail pieces from the feeder and scans each mail piece in a vertical position to read sorting information thereon; a reorientation conveyor which receives the scanned mail pieces from the scanner and re-orients each mail piece from a vertical to a horizontal position; a transport device for turning mailing through a 180° arc; a splitter conveyor including a movable divert section which diverts each mail piece to an upper path or a lower path; a bin module which includes upper and lower bin sections which receive mail pieces from the upper and lower paths, respectively, wherein each bin section includes a row of bins and an associated series of tiltable conveyor sections which can be actuated to drop a mail piece into the associated bin; and a control system which tracks each mail piece as it moves from the scanner to the bins and controls operation of the divert section and the tiltable conveyor section so that each mail piece is sorted to predetermined bin based on the sorting information read by the …