Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 PCT/US97/05822
TRANSFER OF CARTRrDGES CONTATNTNG FLAT ARllCLES
This application claims the benefit of a U.S. Application Serial
No. 08/625,792, filed March 29, 1996, which was converted to a provisional
application by Petition to Convert Non-Provisional Application to a Provisional
Application Pursuant to 37 C.F.R. 1.53(b)(2) (ii), Application Serial
No. , filed January 30, 1997, and granted on March 14, 1997.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to automated handling of flat articles,
particularly automated feeding to and removal of flat articles from a sorting orother flat article processing machine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Machines for automatically sorting flat articles, such as mail, into one of
an array of selected bins or compartments, are known. Typically, such sorting
machines have a feeding station, including an intake drive member such as a
rubber-covered wheel or belt, sensing and detecting equipment for determining
the appropriate output compartment for the article to be sorted, diverting gates or
other mechanisms and an array of output compartments or bins for the sorted
articles. An example of an advanced sorting machine is the DBSCII sorting
device, available from ElectroCom Automation, ~.P., Arlington, Texas.
Conventionally, to feed articles into the sorting machine, an operator
manually grabs a bundle of mail to be sorted and manually shakes or jostles the
mail to generally align the bottom edges, making a stack, typically horizontal. The
operator then places the stack of mail against the feed member of the sorting
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 PCT/US97/05822
machine, which then feeds the articles into the sorting machine, one at a time, to
be sorted.
At the output of the sorter, the sorted articles are routed to the appropriate
compartment for each of the sorted articles and stacked. The feeding and sortingof articles continues until one or more of the receiving compartments becomes
sufficiently full of a stack of sorted mail. At this point, an operator will manually
remove a stack of the sorted articles from the compartment and place the articles
into a box for either later reprocessing through the sorting machine, transferring
to another sorting machine for further sorting or transporting to a delivery person,
such as a mail carrier, for ultimate delivery to the intended location, if all sorting
is completed.
Although automatic sorting machines have greatly speeded and improved
the prior process of manual sorting, manual attention is still required to feed the
flat articles into the sorting machine and to retrieve the sorted articles from the
output of the sorting machine. The need for such manual feeding and sweeping
is undesirable for ergonomic reasons, because of the bending and reaching
required. Furthermore, the need for such manual handling of the mail tends to
limit the maximum benefits of automation that can be gained from the sorting
machine.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to minimize the
ergonomic problems and reduce manpower requirements by au~o",a~i"g the
feeding and retrieving of flat articles from a flat article sorting machine or other flat
article processing machine.
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 PCT/US97/OS822
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cartridge for
receiving and holding the flat atticles in an orderly manner, which can be readily
handled and transferred by either a robotic cartridge handling and transfer device
or by a human operator, if necessary.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cartridge that willreadily dock onto a receiving dock of a feeding device and can be inserted into
the output compattments of a sorting machine to directly receive sorted articlesin an orderly stack, so that the cartridge containing the stacked flat articles is
readily removed from the sorting machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automatic
unloading apparatus and method for removing stacks of flat articles from a
cartridge and for queuing the stacks for feeding to a sorting machine.
It is a further object of the ptesent invention to provide a method and
apparatus for automatically ~lacki"g flat articles into a cartridge at the output of
a sorting machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a robotic cattridge
transfer system for automatically removing ca~l~idges containing a stack of flatarticles from the output compartment of a sorting machine, when the cattridge has
reached a desired stage of filling, and to transfer the cartridge to a buffer storage
shelf or the receiving dock of the same or a different sorting machine for
resorting.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a feed-through
jogging/edging apparatus for automatically edging flat articles prior to entrance to
a document feeder.
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 PCT/US97/05822
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for
dynamic compartment allocation that automatically redesignates a different output
location when it is desired to remove a cartridge filled with sorted articles so that
the sorting machine continues to sort into the redesignated output location evenwhen desig,)a~ed output compartments have been filled, when the cartridge has
either not yet been removed or is still in the process of being removed from theoutput compartment of the sorting machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for
allocation of output compartments which groups high-occurrence destinations
together to maximize effficiency of cartridge removal, based on probability of
occurrence of the particular de~lina~ions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Cartridce
In accordance with the present invention, a cartridge for stacked flat
articles includes:
a container comprising a bottom, sides and an openable front door
supporting a stack of flat articles, a longitudinally slidably mounted stack support
paddle resiliently urgable against the stack of articles, said stack support paddle
further including actuators for external sensors for determining the position of said
stack support paddle.
In a prt:fe"~d embodiment, the cartridge further includes a lock for
selectively securing the stack support paddle to prevent movement of stack
support paddle when the lock is engaged, the lock including an exteMal actuator
for disengaging the lock when the cartridge is mounted in a cartridge receiving
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 PCT/I~S97/05822
- 5 -
dock and disengaging the lock when the cartridge is removed from the receiving
dock.
.
In a further preferred embodiment, the door includes a cam follower for
opening and closing the door as a result of relative movement between a fixed
external cam and the cam follower.
Autofeeder
In accordance with a prt:fe~ d embodiment of the present invention, a
method for transferring a stack of flat articles from a cartridge having an openable
door includes:
placing a cartridge onto a cartridge receiving dock;
opening the cartridge door while supporting the stack of articles; placing
a front stack support finger that moves with the stack to support the stack of flat
articles engaging the stack of articles with a movable paddle; and
moving the paddle forwardly to push the stack forwardly, while supporting
the front of the stack with the front stack support finger to retain the stack of flat
articles between the front stack support finger and the movable paddle during
movement of the stack from the cartridge.
The method further comprises:
moving a rear stack support finger between the movable paddle and the
rear of the stack of flat articles; moving the front and rear stack support fingers
with the stack retained between thereby moving the stack behind a previously
queued stack of articles the moved stack becoming a newly queued stack;
moving a queued stack support from between the previously queued stack
and the newly queued stack to a position behind the newly queued stack; and
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 PCTIUS97/05822
moving the front and rear fingers back to respective starting positions.
In accordance with a prefer,~:d embodiment of the present invention,
apparatus for transferring a stack of flat articles from a cartridge having an
openable door includes:
hold bars for supporting the front of the stack of flat articles when the door
is opened;
a cam and cam follower for opening the door when the hold bars are in
place;
front hngers for supporting the front of the stack during removal thereof
from the cartridge; and
a pusher for pushing the stack forwardly, to cause the stack to be moved
from the cartridge.
In accordance with the present invention, the apparatus further comprises:
rear fingers for supporting the rear of the stack of flat articles;
a queuing station, including a queued stack support for supporting the rear
of a queued stack of flat articles;
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there
is provided an apparatus for transferring a stack of flat articles from a cartridge
having an openable door and a longitudinally slid~h'Q rear stack support paddle
for supporting a rear of the stack, and queuing the stack for feeding to a flat
article processing machine, further including:
a movable mechanical arm for placing the cartridge on and removing the
cartridge from a receiving dock;
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
WO 97136804 PCT/US97/05822
- 7 -
hold bar for supporting the front of the stack while the door is opened; a
cam for opening the door by means of relative movement between a cam on the
receiving dock and a cam follower on the door as the cartridge is placed on the
receiving dock and for closing the door when the cartridge is removed from the
receiving dock;
a front finger for supporting the front of the stack during removal thereof
from the cartridge;
a drive for placing the front finger in front of the stack for support thereof
when the hold bar is removed;
a pusher positionable behind the stack of flat articles; and
a drive for moving the pusher forwardly, to push the stack forwardly, to
move the stack out of the cartridge.
In accordance with the invention, the appardtus further cGn,prises:
a drive for moving the front finger from the receiving dock to a queuing
station along with the stack of flat articles;
a rear finger for supporting the rear of the stack;
a drive for placing the rear finger between a longitudinally slid~'e rear
stack support paddle and the rear of the stack;
a queuing station, including a queued stack support for supporting the rear
of a queued stack;
a drive for moving the rear finger with the stack, to retain the stack
between the front finger and the rear finger during movement;
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 PCT/US97/05822
- 8 -
a drive for moving the queued stack support from between a previously
queued stack and a newly queued stack to a position behind the newly queued
stack; and
a drive for moving the front and rear fingers away from the stack to permit
movement of the front and rear fingers to respective starting positions.
Autostacker
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a
method for transferring flat articles from an article processing machine to a
cartridge in an output compartment includes:
moving articles toward an open end of a cartridge docked at an output
compartment, said cartridge having a longitudinally slidable rear stack support
paddle;
guiding the articles into the cartridge to form a stack of articles in the
cartridge;
1~ determining when the cartridge should be removed from the output
compartment;
discontinuing the movement of articles into the cartridge when the
cartridge is to be removed from an output compartment;
closing a door of the cartridge while supporting the stack in an upright
position; and
removing the cartridge from the output compartment.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an
apparatus for transferring flat articles from an article processi"g machine to acartridge in an output compartment includes:
. . .
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 PCT/US97/05822
g
a transport for moving articles toward an open end of a cartridge docked
at an output compartment said cartridge having a longitudinally slida~'e rear
stack support paddle;
an article guide for guiding articles into the cartridge in a stack of articles
in the cartridge;
a sensor for determining when a cartridge should be removed from the
output compartment;
a controller for discontinuing the movement of articles to the cartridge
when the cartridge is to be removed from an output compartment;
an actuator for closing a door to the cartridge while supporting flat articles
in the stack in an upright condition; and
a drive for removing said cartridge from said output compartment.
Further in accordance with the present invention an apparatus for
transferring flat articles from an article processing machine to a cartridge in an
output co" ,pa, l"~ent includes:
a drive for moving articles toward an open end of a cartridge docked at an
output compartment said cartridge having a longitudinally slidable rear stack
support paddle;
a sweep gate for guiding articles into the cartridge in a stack of articles
in the cartridge;
a sensor for deter",i"i"g when a cartridge should be removed from the
output compa,l",el)l
an actuator for discontinuing the movement of articles to the cartridge
when the cartridge is to be removed from an output compartment;
CA 022~0l63 l998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 PCT/US97/05822
- 10-
a cam on the output compartment for closing the cartridge door by means
of relative movement between the cam and the door; and
a mechanical arm for removing the cartridge from the output compartment.
Joaaer
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, apparatus for
aligning the bottom edges of flat articles includes: a plurality of spaced apart,
generally vertical fingers, forwardly trans'a' ~le while supporting groups of flat
articles, each finger being rockable back and forth through a vertical centerline as
the fingers are forwardly translated to jostle the articles to align the bottom edges
1 0 thereof.
Also in accordance with the present invention, the apparatus as defined
above further comprises a plurality of fixed cam lobes, with the fingers having a
cam follol~cr mounted thereon to ride over the cam lobes as the fingers are
forwardly translated, thereby to impart a back and forth rocking motion through
a vertical centerline as the fingers are forwardly translated.
Robot
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, apparatus for
aulo~ lically inserting and removing cartridges from an article processing
machine includes: a cartridge holding pldlro~
an X-Y positioning device mounted to the cartridge holding plafform for
positioning the ca,L,idge holding plafform at a specified location for delivering or
retrieving a ca,l,idge;
a cartridge capturing arm including extendible arms for extending to and
supporting the cartridge; and
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 PCT/US97/05822
a drive for moving a hold bar into and out of the cartridge.
Further in accordance with the present invention, the cartridge holding
plafform is ~~tatr~le about a vertical axis.
Also in accordance with the present invention, the cartridge holding
plafform is rotatable about a horizontal axis to align the extendible arms with the
cartridge.
Further in accordance with the present invention, the X-Y positioning
device comprises a robot that includes an end effector for actuating a stack
shover into an output compartment.
Overall System with Buffer
In accor~Jance with an embodiment of the present invention, a method for
sorting and feeding flat articles includes: placing a cartridge retaining a stack of
flat articles onto a cartridge receiving dock;
removing the articles from the cartridge as a group;
moving the articles as a group to a feeding station of a sorter;
sorting the articles to selected ones of a plurality of output compal ~,-,ents,
each of the output compartments having a cartridge contained therein;
moving articles into a selected cartridge in one of said plurality of
compartments and as a stack in the cartridge;
sensing when the cartridge should be removed from an output
compartment; and
discontinuing movement of articles into the cartridge when the cartridge
is to be removed from an output compartment.
In accordance with this embodiment, the method further comprises:
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 - 1 2 - PCT/US97/05822
moving the cartridge from the output compartment to a buffer shelf for
temporary storage.
Further in accordance with the present invention an apparatus for sorting
and feeding flat articles includes: a cartridge receiving dock receiving a cartridge
holding a stack of flat articles;
a pusher for removing articles as a group from the cartridge;
a transport for moving groups of articles to a feeding station of a sorter;
an article sorter for sorting articles to selected ones of a plurality of outputcompa,l",enls each of the output compartments having a cartridge contained
1 0 therein;
~ a l,dnsport for driving articles into a selected cartridge in one of the
plurality of compartments to a stack in the cartridge;
a sensor for determining when a cartridge should be removed from an
output compartment; and
a controller for discontinuing the movement of articles into the cartridge for
removal from an output compa,l",ent.
In accordance with this embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a
platform for removing the cartridge from an output cGr"parl",ent and placing thecartridge in a buffer shelf.
Also in accordance with the present invention an apparatus for sorting and
feeding flat articles includes:
a cartridge having a longitudinally slidable rear stack support paddle for
supporting the rear of a stack of flat articles;
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 PCT/US97/05822
- 13-
a mechanical arm for positioning the cartridge containing a stack of flat
articles at a cartridge receiving dock;
a cam for opening a door of said cartridge by means of relative movement
between the cartridge and the ca,l,idge receiving dock;
a hold bar insertable into the cartridge between the door and a front of the
stack of articles for supporting the front of the stack to i"ainlai" a desired
orientation of the stack;
a front finger positionable at the front of the stack of flat articles and a rear
finger positionable at the rear of the stack;
a drive for moving the hold bar away from the stack prior to moving the
stack of flat articles from the ca, l,idge;
a drive for moving the front and rear fingers from the cartridge to move the
stack of flat articles to a feeder station;
a feeder for feeding articles from a queued stack into a sorter having a
plurality of output compartments each output compartment having a cartridge
therein;
a drive for moving said articles into a selected cartridge in one of the
plurality of cG",pa,l",enls;
a sweep gate for guiding articles into a cartridge as a stack of articles in
the cartridge;
a sensor for when a cartridge should be removed from an output
co",pa, l",enl
a conl,~,ller for disabling the movement of articles into the cartridge when
the cartridge is to be removed from an output compartment;
CA 022~0l63 l998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 PCT/US97/05822
- 14-
an actuator for moving the sweep gate to a front of the stack;
a cam on the output compartment for closing the cartridge door by means
of relative movement betv.een the cam and the door; and
a mechanical arm for removing the cartridge from an output compartment
for placement in a buffer shelf.
Also in accordance with the present invention a method for sorting articles
into cartridges includes: determining the frequently used output co",pa,l",ents
containing cartridges; and
designdli"g the most frequently used output compartments proximate to
one another.
Further in accordance with this embodiment the method further allocating
compartments in a buffer shelf proximate to one another for receiving cartridgesfrom the most frequently used output compartments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a more complete understanding of the present invention and the
advantages thereof reference is now made to the following DETAILED
DESCRIPTION taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a mail cartridge handling system in
accordance with the p,t:sent invention for a mail sorting machine;
FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of an autofeeder system for the mail
sorting machine of FIGURE 1;
FIGURE 3A is a perspective view of a cartridge for use in the autofeeder
system of FIGURE 2 depicted with the cartridge door closed;
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 PCT/US97/05822
- 15-
FIGURE 3B is a perspective view of the cartridge of FIGURE 3A, with the
cartridge door opened;
FIGURE 3C is a perspective view of the front end of the cartridge of
FIGURE 3A entering the receiving dock of the autofeeder system of FIGURE 2;
FIGURE 3D is a perspective view of the front end of a cartridge of
FIGURE 3A, during docking in the receiving dock of the autofeeder system of
FIGURE 3A;
FIGURE 4A is a schematic section view, taken on the line 4A-4A of
FIGURE 3A, illustrating a ratchet carriage assembly for selectively locking a
cartridge rear stack support paddle in place, in the locked position;
FIGURE 4B is a schemalic section view, taken on the line 4A-4A of
FIGURE 3A, illustrating the ratchet carriage assembly for selectively locking the
cartridge rear stack support paddle in place, in the unlocked position;
FIGURE 5 is a side view, partly in phantom, of the front portion of a
cartridge of FIGURE 3A illustrating the sequence of opening of the cartridge door
in three stages: 1 ) with the door closed, as the cartridge reaches the receiving
dock; 2) with the door opening by means of a cam on the receiving dock as the
ca,l,idge is moved further onto the receiving dock; and 3) with the door fully
opened when the cartridge is fully docked on the receiving dock;
FIGURE 6 is a perspective view, partly in phantom, of an X-Y robotic
cartridge handling and transfer apparatus in accordance with the present
invention;
FIGURE 7 is a top view of the cartridge support plafform of the robotic
cartridge handling and transfer apparatus of FIGURE 6;
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 PCT/US97105822
- 16 -
FIGURE 7A is a side view taken along the line A-A of FIGURE 7 of the
cartridge support plafform of FIGURE 7;
FIGURE 7B is a side view taken along the line B-B of FIGURE 7A of the
ca,l,idge support platform of FIGURE 7;
FIGURE 8 is a side view, partly in phantom, of the cartridge support
platform of FIGURE 7 showing the extendible arm and stack support, with a
release finger in the retracted position;
FIGURES 9 and 9A-9M are schematic illustrations of a sequence of
operations for docking a cartridge to the autofeeder of FIGURE 2, unloading a
stack of mail, removing the cartridge, and queuing the stack of mail;
FIGURES 1 OA-101 are schematic illustrations of a sequence of operations
for the docking of a cartridge onto the cartridge receiving dock of the autofeeder
system of FIGURE 2, the unloading of the cartridge, and the removing of the
cartridge from the dock;
FIGURES 11A-11L illustrate a sequence of operations for the robotic
ca, l, idge handling and transfer apparatus of FIGURE 6 moving ca, ll idges
between a buffer shelf, the autofeeder of FIGURE 2, and the output
co"~pall"~enl~ of a sorter of the mail sorting machine of FIGURE 1;
FIGURES 12A-12D show a perspective of the sequence of operations for
autol"dlically stacking flat articles into a cartridge in an output compartment of a
sorter of the mail sorting machine of FIGURE 1, depicting stacking, moving the
stack into the cartridge movement and insertion of hold bars to the front end ofthe stack, and removal of the cartridge from the output compartment;
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 PCT/US97/05822
- 17-
FIGURES 13A-131 are schematic depictions of a sequence of operations
for the docking of an empty cartridge into an output compartment of the sorter of
the mail sorting machine of FIGURE 1, the stacking of flat articles into the
cartridge, and removing of a filled cartridge from the output compartment;
FIGURE 14 is a perspective view of an X-Y robotic cartridge transfer
support platform for the apparatus of FIGURE 6, having dual cartridge support
platrur"~s;
FIGURE 15 is a side view, partly in phantom, of a feed-through jogger for
use in connection with the mail sorting machine of FIGURE 1;
FIGURE 16 is a top view of the feed-through jogger of FIGURE 15, partly
in phantom;
FIGURE 17 iS an end view of the feed-through jogger of FIGURE 15,
partly in phantom, showing the drive elements for the rotating lobed shafts;
and
FIGURE 18 is a side view, partly in phantom, of a section of an improved
feed-through jogger in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,
showing the cam track and cam followers for causing back and forth rocking.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Refe" i"g now to the d~ IV ';- 19S in detail, wherein like reference characters
designate like or similar parts throughout the views, and initially to FIGURES 1and 2 thereof, a flat article handling system 10 is depicted. The article handling
system 10 includes a sorter 15 and an array 19 of output compartments 20
arranged in rows and columns, each being adapted to receive a cartridge 25 into
which mail (or other flat articles) may be automatically stacked. The article
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 PCT/US97/05822
- 18-
handling system 10 also includes an X-Y cartridge transfer and handling robot 30having a cartridge support plafform 35 for transferring cartridges between
components of the system. The article handling system 10 preferably also
includes a buffer shelf 40 (the rear is depicted in FIGURE 1) having an array ofcompartments 45 fortemporarily receiving and storing filled and unfilled cartridges
25. The article handling system 10 also preferably includes an autofeeder 50,
including a cartridge docking station 55, a queuing station 60, and a
joggingledging station 65 leading to a feeding station 70. It will be understoodthat, although, for convenience, the term "mail" will often be used herein to refer
to the flat articles being handled in accordance with the method and apparatus of
the present invention, it is to be expressly understood that flat articles other than
mail, including, for example, magazines and books, can also be handled.
The major components of the system will now be described in tum,
beginning with the construction of a cartridge 25.
Ca, ll id~e
Referring now to FIGURES 3A-3D,4A,4B and 5, cartridge 25 is designed
to hold a horizontal stack 75 (FIGURE 2) of pieces of mail (or other flat articles),
to interface with the other parts of the system and to facilitate manipulation by the
X-Y ca, ll idge 1, dn~rer and handling robot 30. The cartridge 25 can also be readily
manipulated, carried and moved by humans, when desired.
The cartridge is generally rectangular, with a generally flat bottom 82,
generally flat side walls 85 and 86, a cartridge door 90 pivotable downwardly onhinges 95 at a front end 100, and a handle 105 at a rear end 110. Preferably, the
cartridge door 90 is spring-loaded by a spring 112 into the closed position. The
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 PCT/US97/05822
- 19-
handle 105 may simply be a bar, leaving the rear end 110 otherwise open. The
rear end 110 may also be closed with a wall, if desired, but such is not required.
Preferably, the cartridge 25 is in the range of about 23 inches long, 13 inches
wide and 5 3/8 inches high, and holds from 0 to 18 inches of stacked mail. Of
course, any convenient size of cartridge can also be used, depending upon the
flat articles to be handled and the capacity desired.
The cartridge door 90 preferably covers the entire front end 100 of the
cartridge 25 so that when the door is open, a stack of mail can be removed
without obstructions or edges to "catch" the pieces of mail. The cartridge door 90
includes a latch bar 115 on the left and right upper corners, which is ad~rted to
mate with a latch 120 pivotally mounted in a latch housing 125 on either side ofthe cartridge 25. As best illustrated in FIGURE 5, a latch release 130 (preferably
a push rod) is retained within the latch housing 125, and spring-loaded by meansof a spring 126 to urge the latch 120 into the closed posilion. As shown in
FIGURE 5, the bottom end 132 of the latch release 130 extends through the
bottom of the latch housing 125.
As seen in FIGURE 5, as a ca, l, idge 25 is inserted in the cartridge docking
station 55 (or into an output compartment 20 in the article handling system 10 the
bottom end 132 of the latch release 130 rides over a ramp or unlocki,lg cam 135
on the cartridge docking station 55, and is pushed upward, thus lifting latch 120
and releasing the cartridge door 90 so that it can be opened.
The call,idge door 90 includes two open notches 140, extending from the
bottom edge of the door to about its middle. The open notches 140 permit a set
of hold bars 145 in docking station 55, as depicted in FIGURES 2 and FIGURES
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
18525-516 t ~
11~;4/(J S -997
-20-
3C and 3D, to pass through the cartridge door 90 and press against the stack of
mail, while permitting the door to open around hold bars 145 (in a manner to be
described more fully below). In this way, the front end of the stack of mail (i.e.,
the end closest the door) can be supported temporarily by the hold bars 145 while
the door is opened, so that the front end of the stack in the cartridge is held in
place when the door is opened. The hold bars 145 are preferably motorized, and
preferably under computer control, so that the hold bars are selectively raised and
lowered. Hold bars 145 are also preferably movable in a back and forth directionin the cartridge 25, which may be provided either by a spring (not shown) urgingthe hold bars in the direction of the cartridge, or by a motor. Although two hold
bars 145 are depicted, one or any other number may also be used.
It should be understood that cartridge door 90 may also be hinged at either
the top or side, although a hinge at the bottom is preferred. If a hinge on the top
is used, of course, the cartridge must be sufficiently tall to avoid interference with
the top of the mail as it is removed. A sliding door may also be employed.
It should also be understood that the function of holding up the front end
of the stack 75 of mail during opening (or closing) of the cartridge door 90 canalso be accomplished by means other than the set of hold bars 145. For
example, in lieu of the hold bars, a set of curved fingers external to the cartridge
could be rotated into the cartridge through holes 150, to press on and hold the
leading face of the mail stack, and the door opened around the curved finger or
fingers. Alternatively, a finger or set of fingers could be extended from the side
into the cartridge through slots 155 in the side wall 85 or slots 160 in the bottom
CA 022~0l63 l998-09-2~
W097/36804 PCT~S97/05822
- 21 -
of the cartridge. The door 90 is then provided with appropriate channels in the
interior face (similar to the open channels 245 in the front face of a rear stack
support paddle 180) to receive the fingers without interference with the front of
the mail stack. Fingers built into the cartridge behind the door (either spring-loaded or externally actu~ted) or in the door itself may also be employed.
The cartridge door 90 is fitted with an S-shaped cam follower 165 at the
lower left and right corners. Although a symmetrical cam follower at each of
these corners is preferred for reducing twisting stresses on the door one alone
may be employed.
Referring to FIGURES 3C 3D and 5, to begin the motion of opening the
door 90 the lower free end 170 of each cam follower 165 is designed to engage
a hrst wedge or cam 172 in the doclcing station 55 as the cartridge is inserted into
the docking station 55 (or an output co",pa,l",ent 20). The upper free end 175
of the cam fo'lower 165 iS designed to engage a second wedge or cam 177 in the
docking station 55 as the cartridge 25 iS inserted into the docking station 55 (or
an output compartment 20), to complete opening the door 90 to approximately
135 degrees or more so as to clear obstructions in the receiving dock or the
output co~"pa,l",ents 20. This is more clearly depicted in FIGURES 3C and 3D.
FIGURE 5 depicts moving right to left and somewhat ove,lap~i,)g three
stages of opening the door 90 by the cams 172 and 177: (1) closed beginning
opening; (2) fully opened cartridge partially docked; and (3) fully opened
cartridge fully docked with the first and second cams operating on the lower andupper ends 170 and 175 of the cam follower 165 as i"dicated the different stages
CA 022~0l63 l998-09-2~
WO97/36804 PCTrUS97/05822
-22-
being separated by altematingly dotted lines. Of course, as the ca,l,idge 25iS
removed, the process is reversed, closing the cartridge door 90.
The internal, spring-loaded rear stack support paddle 180is included in the
cartridge 25 to hold the stack 75 upright at the back end of the cartridge 25, and
to apply a small degree of force to the stack to keep the stack upright. As
illustrated in FIGURES 3A, 3B, 4A and 4B, the rear stack support paddle 180 is
mounted to a carriage assembly 185 slidably mounted through a slot 190 in the
bottom 82 of the cartridge, in an upwardly open channel 195 attached to the
underside of the bottom 82. Carriage assembly 185 slides on linear recirculatingball bearings riding on a round shaft 200 longitudinally disposed in the open
channel 195so that the carriage assembly slides smoothly forward and backward
in the open channel 195. In lieu of the recirculating ball bearings, t~lescopi"g ball
bearing slides, such as found on fumiture drawers, may be used. In addition,
plastic or PTFE bushings, or other expedient means for longitudinal bearings or
bushings, can be used.
The round shaft 200 extends through slots 205 at each end of the open
channel 195, and is loosely secured by keeper washers (not shown) and
longitudinally spring-mounted within the open channel 195 to be urged forwardly
by a spring 181. The front end 210 of the round shaft 200 extends through the
front of the channel and is engaged by a push rod (not shown) in the docking
station 55 or output compartment 20 when the cartridge 25is docked. This action
pushes the shaft 200 longitudinally inwardly against the force of the spring 181.
The round shaft 200iS mounted to be movable sideways to a degree in the slots
205, and includes a cam follower 215 adapted to ride on a wedge-shaped cam
CA 022~0l63 l998-09-2~
W097/36804 PCT~S97/OS822
- 23 -
guide or slot 220 at each end of the open channel 195. A similar sized channel
221 (see FIGURES 3A,3C and 3D) is included underneath the bottom 82 to
maintain symmetry, but does not have an open slot or internal mechanisms.
The rear stack support paddle 180 is urged forwardly by a "conslant force"
spring 225 having one end attached to and wound onto a spool 230 mounted to
the back side of the rear stack support paddle 180, the other end 231 is attached
to the bottom of the cartridge 25, near the front end. The spring force is
preferably approximately 1.4 pounds on the paddle 180 toward the cartridge door
90.
When the cartridge 25 is removed from either the docking station 55 or an
output compa,l",en~ 20, the internal rear stack support paddle 180 is locked in
place by a ratchet mechanism that prevents the paddle from moving away from
the cartridge door 90, which might result in the stack of mail to falling or becoming
disorganized. To accG",plish this, the carriage assel"bly 185 includes ratchet
teeth 235 ~dApted to be selectively engage a rack or series of holes 240 on one
side of the channel 195. When the front end 210 of the round shaft 200 is
pushed inwardly by the push rod or by an end wall 285 on the docking station 55
or an end wall of output compartment 20, against the force of the spring 181 at
the back end of the round shaft 200, the cam f~l'Dwers 215 on each end of round
shaft 200 ride against the wedge-shaped cam surface 220, causing the round
shaft to move sideways in the slots 205, until the ratchet teeth 235 on the carriage
assembly 185 become disengaged. When the front end 210 of the round shaft
200 iS disengaged from the push rod, the force of the spring 181 on the shaft
returns the shaft longitudinally, and sideways, to its original position, engaging the
CA 022~0l63 l998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 PCTrUS97/05822
- 24 -
ratchet teeth 235 with the rack or series of holes 240 in the channel 195, and
locking in place the rear stack support paddle 180.
The rear stack support paddle 180 preferably has forwardly open channels
245 to permit the entrance of fingers from the side into the open channels 245,
between the stack of mail and the front face of the paddle without becoming
entangled with the mail. As shown in FIGURE 3B, notches 155 in the front of
side 85 allow the entrance of fingers from the side when the paddle 180 iS at the
front end 100.
The rear stack support paddle 180 includes a switch actuating extension
250 on the inboard side (on top of side wall 85) on the upper end of a side
support member 251. The switch actuating extension activates external switches
(not shown) in the output compartment 20 to signal to the article handling system
10 that the cartridge 25 iS either full or partly full of mail and ready for removal
or to indicate the relative degree of filling. The switch actuating extension 250 iS
also used at the cartridge receiving docking station 55 to signal that the rear stack
support paddle 180 has moved forward during the mail removal operation and
to sound an alarm (or take other appropriate action) if such has not occurred
Although the actuating extension 250 preferably actuates a switch mechanically
any s~ 'e sensor (such as photoelectric detector) for deter-";.,i"g the location(absolute or relative) of the rear stack support paddle 180 may be employed.
For reasons of economy the construction of the body of the cartridge 25
is preferably reinforced injection molded plastic. The rear stack support paddle180 cartridge door 90 door latches 120, carriage assembly 185, and other
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
W097/36804 PCT~S97/05~22
- 25 -
moving components are preferably steel for reasons of strength and durability, but
may be made of other suitable materials, if desired.
Autofeeder
With initial reference to FIGURES 1, 2,3B,3C and 5, there is illustrated
the autofeed system 50, for receiving cartridges 25 filled with stacked mail andautomatically removes the stack from the cartridge, queues the mail, preferably
jogs and edges the mail, and feeds the mail to the input feed station of a sorter
15. The autofeeder 50 includes the docking station 55 for receiving a mail-filled
cartridge 25, a mail stack unloader 275 operating between the docking station 55,
the queuing station 60, and the jogger/edging station 65, leading to the feedingstation 70 of sorter 15. These will be described in tum.
1. Docking Station
The docking station 55 includes a receiving shelf 280, a receiving channel
290 in the shelf for receiving the ca,l,idge door 90 without interference, the
cartridge door latch unlocking cam 135 and the cartridge door opening lower cam
172 and upper cam 177 (shown in FIGURES 3C,3D and 5, but not FIGURES 1
or 2), which are laterally displaced from one another to line-up when the cartridge
125 is inserted with the lower cam fcllDw~r 170 and upper cam follower 175. In
addition, cartridge atignment guides (not shown) preferably guide channels 195
and 221 on receiving shelf 280 into the dock end wall 285. The two hold bars
145 are provided in the docking station 55, extending upwardly from a common
vertical member.
A cartridge 25 with a horizontal stack 75 is p!aced onto the receiving shelf
280 and moved forwardly to the end wall 285 by automated or manual means.
CA 022~0l63 l998-09-2~
W097/36804 PCTrUS97/05822
- 26 -
Referring to FIGURE 5, beginning with position (1), as the cartridge 25 slides
forward, the unlocking cam 135 in the docking station 55 actuates the bottom end132 of the latch release 130, which in turn lifts latch 120, thereby releasing the
latch from the latch bar 115, thus unlocking the cartridge door 90. As the
cartridge 25 continues to move forward (to the left, in the figures) on the receiving
shelf 280, the lower cam follower 170 strikes the face of cam 172, to cause the
door 90 to begin opening. The door continues to open as the cartridge moves
forward, until the door is open about 90 degrees from the closed position. At this
point, upper free end 175 of the cam follower 165 is low enough to ride under the
wedge of the cam 177. As the cartridge continues to move forward to position
(2), the wedge of cam 177 continues to open the door 90, until the door is open
about 135 degrees from the closed position, that is, a fully open position. The
upper free end 175 of the cam follower 165 then continues under the straight part
of cam 177 until the front end 100 of the cartridge is abuUed against the dock end
wali 285, thereby unlocking the rear stack support paddle 180 by operation of the
round shaft 200. The mail stack 75 can now be removed from the cartridge 25,
by pushing the rear stack support paddle 180 forward, over a feeder bar 295 on
the top of the dock end wall 285 (see FIGURES 3C and 3D).
At the same time as the cartridge 25 is being inserted, and just before the
door is unlocked and begins to open, hold bars 145 are raised from the docking
station 55, as indicated by the arrows by an actuator (not shown), to pass through
open notches 140 in the cartridge door 90 as the ca,llidge moves forward. The
hold bars 145 are spring-loaded to exert a force on the front surface of the stack
of mail, while pen"iUi~,g the hold bars 145 to move with the cartridge as it moves
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
W097/3~04 PCT~S97/05822
- 27 -
forward. The hold bars 145 are mounted to move forward at the same speed as
the cartridge. As the cartridge door 90 opens the hold bars 145, passing throughopen notches 140, hold the front pieces of mail in place, keeping the stack fromfalling as the door is opened. As previously mentioned, just as the cartridge abuts
the dock end wall 285, the front end 210 of the round shaft 200 strikes the dockend wall, to unlock the rear stack support paddle 180 in preparation for unloading
of the mail stack from the cartridge. The insertion of a cartridge onto the
receiving shelf 280, and the opening of the cartridge door 90 around the hold bars
145, are schematically depicted, stepwise in order, in FIGURES 9, gA and 9B.
Referring to FIGURE 2, a stack unloader 275 is used to support and
remove the stack of mail from the ca~l~idge 25 after it is docked, and move the
stack to the queuing station 60. The unloader 275 includes a rear finger carriage
300 and a front finger carriage 305 mounted on guide rails 310 and 315 running
parallel to the length of the autofeeder 50, behind a slotted stack support wall320. Each of the finger car~iages 300 and 305 is independently movable
longitudinally along the guide rails 310 and 315 between the docking station 55
and the queuing station 60 by means of drive motors (not shown), preferably
under computer control.
Each of the finger carriages 300 and 305 includes a set of fingers, 325 and
330, respectively, that are mounted to be extended and retracted, in and out from
the respective carriage 300 or 305, through the slotted stack support wall 320.
The rear finger carriage 300 also includes a rotatable stack pusher 335,
preferably generally in the form of a hook, and mounted to be rotatable into, and
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
W097/36804 PCT~US97/05822
- 28 -
out of, the open top of the rear end of the cartridge 25, behind rear stack support
paddle 180.
VV~th particular reference to FIGURES 9C to 9M, the operation of the
unloader 275 will now be described. It is understood that, prior to the positiondepicted in FIGURE 9C, the fingers 325 and 330 of the finger carriages 300 and
305 have been retracted, the stack pusher 335 raised, and both finger carriages
300,305 moved rearwardly, with rear finger carriage 300 adjacent the rear end
of the cartridge 25 and front finger carriage 305 ad~acent the front end of the
ca,l,idge, such that when the fingers 330 are extended the hold bars 145 (when
in the stack holding position) will be between the fingers 330 and the rear stack
support paddle 180.
As soon as the ca,l~idge 25 is fully docked, the fingers 330 of the front
finger carriage 305 are extended through the slotted stack support wall 320, just
in front of hold bars 145, as shown in FIGURE 9C. Next, as depi,ted in FIGURE
9D, the hold bars 145 are retracted, out of the way. The front end of the mail
stack is now supported by fingers 330. At about the same time, or just after, the
pusher 335 iS rotated down into the open top of the rear end of the mail cartridge
25, behind the rear stack support paddle 180, and the rear finger carriage 300,
with the fingers 325 still retracted, is moved forward until the pusher 335 justcontacts the back of rear stack support paddle 180.
The rear finger carriage 300, with the pusher 335 down, is then driven
forward, pushing the rear stack support paddle 180 and the stack of mail, while
at the same time the front finger carriage 305 with the fingers 330 extended, isdriven forward, with the mail stack 75 retained between the extended fingers and
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 PCT/US97/05822
- 29 -
the rear stack support paddle 180, until the rear stack support paddle is all the
way to the front of, or just out of, the front end of cartridge 25. Because of the
built-in spacing between the pusher 335 and fingers 325, at this point, the fingers
325 (still retracted) are positioned directly adjacent the forwardly open channels
245 of the rear stack support paddle 180. As illustrated in FIGURE 9E, the rear
finger carriage 300 then extends the fingers 325 into the forwardly open channels
245 of the rear stack support paddle 180, between the support paddle and the
rear end of the mail stack 75, without interfering with the mail. The mail stack is
now supported between the fingers 325 of the rear finger carriage 300 and fingers
330 of the front finger carriage 305. The pusher 335 is then rotated up out of the
cartridge 25.
2. Queuinq Station
At this point, both front and rear finger carriages 300 and 305, with the
respective fingers extended, are moved in unison longitudinally along the guide
rails 310 and 315, sliding the mail stack from the docking station 55 to the
queuing station 60, as illustrated in FIGURES 9F-91, where a previously placed
stack of mail 75' is held in place by a queuing station paddle 340. The queuing
station paddle 340 is longitudinally movable and rotatable on a guide shaft 341
It should be noted that, in FIGURE 9G, an optional tilting edging table 345
is depicted as a part of the queuing station 60. The edging table 345 is mountedto tilt and vibrate, to help edge and move the mail to the slotted stack support wall
320. However, this tilting edging table 345 is not required if the article handling
system 20 includes the jogging/edge station 65, or other means for ensuring that
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 PCT/US97/0~822
- 30 -
the mail is feed in an orderly manner to the feeding station 70. The
jogging/edging station 65, to be described in more detail below, is prefer,~d.
At this time, the now-empty cartridge 25 is removed from the docking
station 55 by manual or automatic means. Of course, as it does so, the cartridgedoor 90 is closed, latched and the rear stack support paddle 180 locked, in
reverse order to the operation that occurred when the cartridge was inserted.
When a mail stack 75 from the cartridge 25 reaches the queuing station
60, the queuing station paddle 340 engages the fingers 330 of the forwarding mail
stack 75, as illustrated in FIGURE 91. The fingers 330 maintains pressure on themail stacks 75 and 75', and the queuing station paddle 340 is rotated from
between the two stacks (the previously placed stack 75' and the arriving stack
75), as shown in FIGURE 9J. The queuing station paddle 340 is then moved on
the guide shaft 341 until positioned just behind the fingers 325 of the rear finger
carriage 300 and is then rotated into position behind the fingers 325, as depicted
in FIGURE 9K. The fingers 330 of the front finger carriage 305 are then retracted
into the carriage, leaving the stacks 75' and 75 abutted together, forming a "new"
previously placed stack 75', as illustrated in FIGURE 9L. The fingers 325 are
then retracted into the rear finger carriage 300, leaving the arriving stack 75 (now
a part of "new" stack 75') supported by the queuing station paddle 340, the
starting point of the process, as depicted in FIGURE 9M. At this point, both thefront and rear finger carriages 300 and 305 are free to move back to the dockingstation 55, to prepare to unload another stack of mail from a cartridge 25 and the
process repeats.
CA 022~0l63 l998-09-2~
18525-516 1 ~ ' r
-31- i397
Referring again to FIGURE 2, the stack of mail 75' in the queuing station
60 iS moved by the queuing station paddle 340 to the jogger/edging station 65,
where the mail is jostled to align the bottom edges of the mail in an orderly
fashion, and to urge the inside edge of each piece of mail toward a back wall 345.
The construction and operation of the jogger/edging station 65 will now be
described below.
3. Feed-Throuqh Joqqer/Edqer
The jogger/edging station 65 preferably employs a feed-through upstanding
tab jogger/edger 350 or an improved rocking tab jogger/edger 350'. With initial
reference to FIGURE 2 and FIGURES 15-17, jogger/edger 350 has several rows
(three, for example, as shown) of vertical tabs 355 mounted at their lower edge
to a continuous chain 357 rotatable between two sprockets 358. The continuous
chain 357 iS driven by a motor 358 (visible in FIGURE 15) through a belt drive
354 so that the vertical tabs 355 gradually move counterclockwise, carrying small
pockets of mail (approximately 5-10 pieces) in a generally vertical orientation
toward the feeding station 70 of the sorter 15.
A lobed shaft 360 extends longitudinally in the feed direction, one lobed
shaft 360 in between each row of tabs 355, and one between the inward-most row
of tabs 355 and the back wall 345. Lobed shafts 360 are rotated in a clockwise
direction, facing in the feed direction by a drive motor 359 through a belt or chain
361 in conjunction with the feeder/edger 350, to impart a bouncing motion to thebottom edges of the mail to tend to singulate the mail pieces, and to gently urge
the mail through friction toward the back wall 345. At the back wall 345 there is
CA 022~0l63 l998-09-2
18525-516
-32- .
rotatably mounted a lobed shaft 365 that rotates counterclockwise to urge the
back edge of the mail downwardly.
To the extent described above, the foregoing construction of jogger/edger
350 iS generally the same as conventional jogger/edgers. A conventional
jogger/edger shown in FIGURES 15-17 may be employed in the present invention,
although with somewhat reduced edging efficiency overthe improved jogger/edger
described below.
It has been found, however, that with a conventional jogger/edger, the
bundle of mail between tabs 355 tends to lean to one side, causing the weight ofone mail piece to rest on an adjacent mail piece. Thus, heavy pieces tend to
pinch the lighter pieces thereby preventing edging of the lighter pieces and
tending to force the individual pieces together, restricting the ability of each mail
piece to move independently.
In accordance with the present invention, improved jostling and edging of
the mail is achieved if the tabs are made to vacillate (rock) back and forth
- longitudinally, across a vertical axis, as the mail bundles are moved forward.
Referring to FIGURE 18, the vacillation is accomplished as follows. In the
improved jogger/edger 350', the tabs 355' are provided with ledges 370' on the
lower end and on either side of the upward tab 355', like an inverted T.
Mounted below the tabs 355' iS a wavy cam guide 375'. As the tabs 355' are
moved in the same manner as described for the conventional, non-rocking tab
jogger/edger 350, a roller cam follower 380', mounted to each of the tabs 355'
engages the guide 375', between the wavy cam lobes, thereby causing the tabs
355 to rock back and forth, preferably in the range of 20 degrees each way. This
CA 022~0l63 l998-09-2~
WO 97J36804 PCTtUS97/05822
- 33 -
motion causes the individual mail pieces to break free from each other and move
independently to an edged position. This minimizes the problem of heavy pieces
pinching the lighter pieces to obstruct individual edging. It is preferred that the
bundle of mail be jostled such that it moves back and forth across a subslanlially
vertical orientation. When the pieces are vertical, the heavy pieces tend not torestrict the lighter pieces. This allows each mail piece to move independently
without the weight of adjacent pieces restricting movement, thus improving the
jogging/edging err,~iency.
As the tabs 355' move forwardly, the jogged and edged mail is gradually
moved forwardly, until it reaches the feeding station 70 of the sorter 15.
Feedin~ Station
Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, the feeding station 70 is conventional, and
consists of a guide roller 71 for frictionably driving pieces of mail 80 into the sorter
15, one at a time, for sorting. The sorting machine sorts mail pieces into one of
an array 19 of output compartments 20 by reading bar codes on the mail pieces,
in accordance with the sorting sequence programmed into the sorter at the time
the sort is initiated. Since the sorter itself is conventional, it need not be further
desc, il,ed.
Autostacker at Sorter OUtPUt
Wlth reference to FIGURES 12A-12D and 13, the automatic stacking of
mail into cartridge 25 in an output compartment 20 of the sorter 15, and the
insertion into and removal of the cartridge 25 from the output cor"pa, I,nent 20, will
now be described.
CA 022~0l63 l998-09-2~ -
W097/36804 PCTtUS97tO5822
- 34 -
The sorter 15 distributes the mail into one of output compartments 20,
arranged in rows and columns. Each of the output compartments 20 includes a
feed belt 390 encircling a roller 3g5, a sweep gate 400 and a ca, ll idge receiving
dock (not shown) for receiving and holding a cartridge 25 during loading of the
cartridge. The cartridge receiving dock includes a wedge for unlatclli"g the
cartridge door 90 a dock end wall or lug for actuating the front end 210 of the
round shaft 200 to unlock the rear stack support paddle 180 upper and lower
cams for opening the cartridge door 90 and a switch or other sensing device to
be actuated by the switch actuating extension 250 on the rear stack support
paddle 180. Since these devices are arranged and operate in generally same
manner as the respective devices in the cartridge docking station 55, already
described these items need not be further described in detail.
The cartridge 25 fits into the output co",pa,l,-,ent 20 in a manner similar
to the cartridge docking station 55. That is as the ca~ I,idge 25 iS inserted into the
compa,l",en~ 20, the door locking latch 120 iS released the carriage assembly
185 iS released and the call,idge door 90 is opened. The compartment 20 also
includes a switch or other sensor (not shown) actuated by the rear stack supportpaddle 180 in the cartridge to notify the sorter 15 when the cartridge is nearly full
(approximately 80%) full empty and/or the relative degree of fullness of the
cartridge. The cartridge 25 also preferably actuates a switch (not shown) in theco" ,pa, l",ent 20 to notify the sorter 15 or supervisory computer that the cartridge
25 iS properly placed.
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 PCT/US97/05822
- 35 -
When in an output compa,l",ent 20, the cartridge 25 accepts and stacks
mail directly from the sorter 15 during a sort. The pieces of mail 80 are fed into
the cartridge by the drive belt 390 and, guided by the sweep gate 400.
Referring to FIGURES 12A-12D, the sweep gate 400 preferably consists
of an upper smooth guide bar 405 and a lower guide bar 410 having bends or
notches 415, open to the cartridge 25, for receiving upstanding fingers 420 of an
end effector 425 of a robot cartridge handler (not shown in FIGURES 12A-12D).
During stacking of mail into the cartridge 25, the sweep gate 400 is
positioned as shown in FIGURE 12A, with bars 410 and 405 straddling the drive
belt 390 so that mail pieces driven toward the cartridge 25 by the drive belt 390
~are guided into cartridge in an orderly stack 75. The spring loaded stack support
paddle 180 (see FIGURES 3A and 3B) supplies a gentle urging force against the
rear of the stack to assist in orderly stacking of the mail pieces.
When the cartridge 25 is nearly full (appl u~imately 80%), the stack support
paddle 180 in the cartridge actuates a switch (not shown) in the output
compartment 20, notifying the sorter 15 or supervisory computer that the cartridge
is nearly full and should be replaced with an empty cartridge.
In the present invention, sorting operations can continue unabated during
changing of cartridges. To do so, when the sorter 15 or supervisory computer
receives notification by means of the switch or sensor that the cartridge 25 in an
output compartment 20 is nearly full, the sorter 15 automatically redesignates
another output compartment having a still-empty cartridge as the receiving
location for that category of mail. The redesignation is completed somewhat prior
to the time the cartridge 25 is completely full, because the sorter 15 includes a
CA 022~0l63 l998-09-2~
W097/36804 PCTrUS97/05822 - 36 -
number of pieces of mail at any given time which have not yet been routed to an
output compartment 20.
After all mail in process in the sorter 15 available for routing to the output
compartment 20 has been run through the sorter so that no more mail is availableto be routed to the full or nearly-full cartridge 25, the cartridge removal operation
can begin. This process is depicted in FIGURES 12B-12D. First, as shown in
FIGURE 1 2B, a robot end-actuator 430 (schematically illustrated in the figures as
a bar) moves forward and activates a lever 435 attached to the sweep gate 400
that causes the sweep gate to pivot towards the stack of mail in the cartridge, to
fully shove the end of the mail stack into the cartridge. Meanwhile, the end-
effector 425 of the robot with support members 427 and upstanding fingers 420
is moved under the ca, L,idge 25. As illustrated in FIGURE 12C, the end-effector425 and upstanding fingers 420 are raised surr,ciarllly to insert the upstandingfingers into the ca,l,idge through the bottom notches 160 provided in the bottom82 of the cartridge, and up through notches 415 in the lower guide bar 410 of
sweep gate 400. The upstanding fingers 420 serve the purpose of retaining the
end of the mail stack 75 during cartridge extraction while the cartridge door 90closes, as well as assisting in securely holding the cartridge for the removal
operation. The ca, l,idge may then be pulled out of the cG",pa, l~"ent via the end-
effector 425, as illustrated in FIGURE 12D. The end-actuator 430 is also
retracted at this time, and the sweep gate 400 returns to a starting, open position,
preferably by a return spring on the sweep gate.
As noted above, upon insertion or extraction of the cartridge 25 from the
output compartment 20, the ca,l,idge door 90 auto~,alically opens and closes, by
.. . .
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
W097/36804 PCT~S97/05822
- 37 -
means of the cam follower 165 on the bottom of the door, the stack support
paddle 180 is released and engaged, respectively, in the substantially the same
-
way as described above with respect to insertion and removal of the cartridge 25into and from the docking station 55 of the autofeeder 50.
The steps of insertion of an empty cartridge 25 into the output
compartment 20 are schematic illustrated in FIGURES 13A-13D. FIGURE 13A
depicts an empty cartridge being moved into the output compartment 20 by
means of support members 427, with the upstanding fingers 420 up, latch 120
engaged, and rear stack support paddle 180 locked in position by means of the
round shaft 200. FIGURES 13B and 13C show the cartridge 20 moving toward
the receiving dock of the output compartment 20. FIGURE 13D depicts the
cartridge 20 just after docking, with the latch 120 disengaged, the rear stack
support, paddle 180 unlocked, and cartridge door 90 open. The cartridge is now
ready to receive mail, guided by open sweep gate 400.
Tuming now to FIGURES 1 3E-131, the process of removal of a cartridge
filled with flat articles from output compartment 20 is illustrated. In FIGURE 1 3E,
the cartridge is shown with the cartridge door 90 open, the sweep gate 400 open,the end-effector 425 has entered the compartment undemeath the cartridge, but
the upstand,.,g fingers 420 have not been raised. FIGURE 1 3F depicts the step
in the process after the sweep gate 400 has been rotated to push the stack of
mail into the cartridge 25 after the upstanding fingers 420 have been raised.
FIGURE 1 3G shows the cartridge 25 just as it has moved away from the dock of
the output compartment 20 enough to lock the rear stack support paddle 180 by
movement of the round shaft 200. FIGURE 13H depicts the cartridge 25 after
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 PCT/IJS97tO5822
- 38 -
having been moved away from the dock of the output compartment 20 far enough
to close the cartridge door 90, and to engage the latch 120. FIGURE 131 depicts
the cartridge after being entirely removed from output compartment 20.
Cartridqe Transfer and Handiin~q Robot
The cartridge transfer and handling robot 30, which preferably is employed
to move the cartridge 25 between the docking station 55, the output CGI "pa, lll lent
20, and/or a compartment 45 of the buffer shelf 40 will now be described, with
reference primarily to FIGURES 6-8.
With reference first to FIGURES 6 and 7, the cartridge transfer and
handling robot 30 includes a carriage assembly 31 mounted to move on a vertical
support column 32 that in turn is mounted for linear movement on an upper rail
33 and a lower rail 34 extending the length of the array 19 of the sorter 15. The
carriage assel"bly further includes the cartridge support platform 35 also mounted
to the support column 32 for up-down movement. The support column 32 is
driven back and forth along the rails 33, 34 by cables 36a and 36b mounted to
pulleys 37a and 37b, driven by X-Y drive servo motors 38a and 38b under
computer control.
The cartridge support platform 35 is pivotally mounted to the end of a
cantilever support beam 41, attached to the support column 32 by a rack-mounted
collar 42, and positioned under computer control by a servo motor 43. The up-
down motion of the cartridge support platform 35 is effected by the of servo motor
38b driving cable 36b, and hence driving a pinion (not shown) against a rack (not
show) on the column 32.
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
W097/36804 PCT~S97105822
- 39 -
With reference now to FIGURE 8, in order to securely grasp and hold the
cartridges 25 during removal, insertion and transportation operations, the cartridge
support plafform 35 of the cartridge transfer and handling robot 30 includes theend-effector 425 including the pair of extensible support members 427, which arenormally roughly parallel with a horizontal plane. These support members 427
arms are extended by operation of a servo motor 44 on the cartridge support
platform 35, through a chain drive 46.
Each of the extensible support members 427 includes an L-shaped
upstanding fingers 420 pivotally mounted at the end thereof. The upstanding
fingers 420 are pivoted up and down by means of a worm gear drive, chain drive
or other convenient means (not shown), driven by a servo motor (not shown)
under computer control.
The cartridge support plalro~"~ 35 also includes the separate end-actuator
430 driven by a servo motor, for operatively pivoting the sweep gate 400.
Operation of Cartridae Transfer and Handlinq Robot
The operation of the cartridge transfer and handling robot 30 to transfer
cartridges 25 between the sorter output compartments 20, the docking station 55,and the compartments 45 of the buffer shelf 40 will now be described, with
primary reference to FIGURES 11A-L.
FIGURE 11A shows the cartridge transfer and handling robot 30 in the
"home" position, without a cartridge. In FIGURE 11B, the robot 30 has extracted
a full cartridge 25 from a compartment 45 of the buffer shelf 40 (for clarity, the
stack of flat articles or mail is not shown). As Idepi.,ted in FIGURE 11C, the X-Y
servo motors are actuated to rotate the robot 30 toward the docking station 55 of
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
W097/36804 PCT~US97/05822
- 40 -
feeder assembly 50, for resorting. Alternatively the robot 30 extracts filled
cartridges from the buffer shelf 40, for transfer to the feeder assembly 50 or
empty cartridges for l,ansrar to an output compartment 20.
As illustrated in FIGURE 11 D the servo motors are actuated to lower the
plafform 35 and push the cartridge 25 onto the docking station 55, by means of
end effector 425 and support members 427. As d~F.ctcd in FIGURE 11E the
cartridge 35 has been inserted into the docking station 55. After the cartridge 25
has been unloaded at the docking station 55, the robot 30 removes the empty
cartridge as illustrated in FIGURE 11F. If not presently needed the empty
cartridge can now be temporarily stored in a compartment 45 of buffer shelf 40,
as depicted in FIGURE 11G.
Referring to FIGURE 11 H the robot 30 has been repositioned to remove
a hlled cartridge 25 from an output compartment 20 of array 19. FIGURE 111
shows the robot 30 removing a full ca,l,idge 25 (the stack of flat articles or mail
is not shown). FIGURE 11J depicts the robot 30 after having been turned and
beginning the operation to place the cartridge 25 into a compartment 45 of buffer
shelf 40. FIGURE 11K illustrates the robot 30 in the middle of removing a
cartridge 25 from a buffer shelf 40. Finally FIGUR~ 11 L depicts the robot 30 inthe process of putting a cartridge into a compartment 20 of array 19.
The preferred method of operation is to move filled ca,l,idges from the
buffer shelf 40 to the feeder system 55; empty cartridges from the feeder to thebuffer; empty cartridges from the buffer 40 to the output compa,l",er~ls 20; filled
cartridges from the output compartments 20 to the buffer 40; and so on. Thus
the buffer 40 preferably serves as an intermediate "stopover" point between the
CA 022~0l63 l998-09-2~
W097136804 PCTrUS97/05822
- 41 -
feeder and the output compartments, and from the output compartments to the
feeder. If the supervisory computer determines, however, that a particular
cartridge transfer will be more err,cia,ll if made directly, without the inter-"ediate
step of the buffer, the robot will transfer filled or empty cartridges directly between
the feeder and the output compartment, and vice versa.
Although not shown in FIGURES 11A-11L, it is to be understood that,
when the cartridge support plafform 35 is properly positioned, the upstanding
fingers 420 are lowered (or raised), and the extensible support members 427
extended (or retracted) as necess~ry, to position the upstanding fingers 420
directly underneath mating notches 160 in the front end of the cartridge 25, andto move the fingers 420 Up into the notches 160 in the cartridge 25, at the
appropriate times, as previously described.
It should be noted that, if the upstanding fingers 420 are sufficiently long,
the hold bars 145 in the docking station 55 may be dispensed with in as much as
the fingers also prevent the stack from falling with the ca, l,idge door 90 open, in
the same manner that the fingers 420 function in removing a filled cartridge from
the output compartment 20. However, for reasons of maximum utilization of the
robot 30, it is prefe"~d that the hold bars 145 are used to support the mail during
opening of the ca,l-idge door 90, since this allows the robot to leave the docking
station 55 immediately after dischary;ng the cartridge 25, before it is docked and
unloaded, if desired.
As can be seen in FIGURE 11A-11L, some embod;."ents of the output
array 19 of output compartments 20 may include a top row or tier that is slanteddownwardly a few degrees. The reason for the slant is to facilitate manual
CA 022~0l63 l998-09-2~
W097t36804 PCT~S97tO5822
- 42 -
removal of mail and/or ca~l~idges from the top tier when manual removal of the
Cdl 11 idges is desired or necessary in case of breakdowns of the cartridge handling
robot 30. Mail must continue to be processed regardless of a breakdown of the
cartridge transfer and handling robot 30, and many such slanted tier arrays are
already in operation. Thus, it is desirable that the cartridge transfer and handling
robot 30 be able to accommodate such a slanted configuration. To do so, the
cartridge support assembly is mounted to the collar having a mount rotatable to
about a horizontal axis. The rotation is effected by means of a servo motor,
under computer control, permitting the end-effector 425 to reach the slanted top1 0 shelf.
Rere"i"g to FIGURE 14, in order to speed up the cartridge insertion and
removal process, a dual plafform robot 30', riding on a bottom rail 34', iS provided,
configured with dual cartridge support plafforms 35'. By the use of dual cartridge
support pldtrOrms 35', the robot 30' iS configured to insert and/or remove two
cartridges per "trip", thus ma,~i",king the efficiency of use of the robot 30'.
In order to maximize the usefulness of the sorter 15, in accordance with
the present invention, a computer is suitably programmed so that, when the
cartridge 25 in a desiy"aled output co",pa,l"lent has been filled or nearly filled,
as indicated by the sensed posilion of the rear stack support paddle 180, or
during the process of removal of a ca,llidge, prior to insertion of an empty
cartridge, the computer automatically instructs the sorter 15 or a supervisory
computer to redesignate another output compartment 20, on the fly, to enable thesorter to continue to sort to the redesignated output location until an empty
cartridge is fully reinserted into the output compa,lll,enl.
CA 022~0163 1998-09-2~
WO 97/36804 PCT/US97/05822
- 43 -
The supervisory computer is also preferably programmed to determine
high-occurrence output compartments, either based upon manual input of a
probability mapping for the sort locations, or based upon "leaming" the probability
of the various sort locations based upon recording of information from prior sorts.
The high-occurrence destinations are grouped together in the array 19, and in
buffer shelf 40, to maximize efficiency of cartridge insertion, removal, and transfer
between the buffer shelf 40, the array 19, and the docking station 55 of feedingassembly 50.
It should be noted that, although the invention is illustrated and described
in conjunction with a sorter, the invention is useful in connection with other
machines for automatically handling and/or processing flat articles and mail, for
example, envelope addressing machines, labeling machines, character recognition
machines, and bar code printing machines.
Although pr~ferled and altemate embodiments of the present invention
have been illustrated in the accon)panying drawings and described in the
foregoing DETAILED DESCRIPTION, it will be understood that the invention is not
limited to the embodiments disciosed, but is capable of numerous
rearrangements, modifications and substitutions of parts and elements without
departing from the spirit of the invention.
GVW4/255361
