Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SORTING FLAT ARTICLES
This app'i~tion claims the benefit of a U.S. Arp' c2tion Serial
No. 08/625,793, filed March 29, 1996, which was converted to a provisional
appl.~tion by Pet;tion to Convert Non-Provisional ApplicaliGn to a Provisional
Application Pursuant to 37 C.F.R. 1.53(b)(2) (ii), A~-plicalion Serial
No. , filed January 30,1997, and granted on March 14, 1997.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to automated handling of nat articles,
particularly automated feeding to and removal of flat articles from a sorting orother flat article processing machine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Machines for auton,dlically 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 appro~ridte output compa,l",enl forthe 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, L.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
2~ 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
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machine which then feeds the articles into the sorting machine, one at a time tobe sorted.
At the output of the sorter the sorted articles are routed to the approp, idte
co",pal l,nent for each of the sorted articles and st~cked. The feeding and sorting
of articles continues until one or more of the receiving co",pa,l"~ents becomes
s~.rri~ enLly full of a stack of sorted mail. At this point an operator will manually
remove a stack of the sorted articles from the compa,l",ent 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 macl,i"es have greatly speeded and improved
the prior pr.cess of manual sorting manual attention is still required to feed the
flat articles into the sorting machine and to retrieve the sorted articies from the
output of the sorting machine. The need for such manual feeding and sweeping
is undesirab'e 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
Accor iinyly it is an object of the present invention to ",i.~i",i~e the
ergonomic plo~'ems and reduce manpower requil~l"ents by automating the
feed;ng and retrieving of flat articles from a flat article sorting machine or other flat
article processing machine.
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It is a further object of the l~resent invention to provide a cartridge for
receiving and holding the flat articles in an orderly manner which can be readily
handled and transfe~ led by either a robotic cartridge handling and transfer device
or by a human operator, if necess~.y.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a call,idge that willreadily dock onto a receiving dock of a feeding device and can be inserted into
the output cG,npa,l",ents of a sorting machine to directly receive sorted articles
in an orderly stack, so that the call,idge containing the stacked flat articles is
readily removed from the sorting machine.
It is a further object of the pr~sent invention to provide an automatic
unloading apparatus and method for removing stacks of flat articles from a
cdll,idge and for queuing the stacks for feeding to a sorting r"achh,e.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method and
apparatus for automatically stacking flat articles into a ca,l,idge at the output of
a sorting ",achi. ,e.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a robotic call,idge
l,dnsrer system for auto",dtically removing cartridges containing a stack of flat
articles from the output cor"~)a,l",ent of a sorting machine when the ca,l,idge 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 dif~èrenl sorting machine for
resorting.
It is a further object of the p~esent invention to provide a feed-through
- jogging/edging apparatus for autol"alically edging flat articles prior to entrance to
a document feeder.
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It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for
dynamic co",pa~ ,ent ~oc~tion that automatically r~desiyl)ales a different output
location when it is desired to remove a ca,l,idge filled with sorted articles so that
the sorting machine continues to sort into the redesignated output location evenwhen designated output cG""~a,l",e"ts have been filled when the call,idge has
either not yet been removed or is still in the prucess of being removed fr~m theoutput cG""~all"~ent of the sorting ",acl,i"e.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system for
allocation of output corl,pa,l."er,ls which groups high-occurrence destinations
together to maximize efficiency of cartridge removal based on probability of
occurrence of the particular deslinalions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Cartridqe
In accordance with the present invention a call,idge for st~-ked flat
articles includes:
a container co",prisi.,g 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 ~ctuators for extemal sensors for determining the position of said
stack support paddle.
In a prt:rel,~d embodiment the ca,l-idge 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 call,idge is mounted in a cartridge receiving
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dock and d;~ngaging the lock when the ca,lndye is removed from the receiving
dock.
In a further prt:fe"~d embodiment the door includes a cam r 'l~wer for
opening and closing the door as a result of relative movement bet~,veen a fixed
extemal cam and the cam fellwnrsr.
Aulofeeder
In accordance with a pr~fe~d embodiment of the present invention a
method for l,anare" ing a stack of flat articles from a cartridge having an openable
door includes
placing a cartridge onto a ca,l,idge 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 engagi,lg 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 call,idge.
The method further cGlnprises:
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 beh~.ecn the previously queued stack
and the newly queued stack to a position behind the newly queued stack; and
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moving the front and rear fingers back to .especti~e ~ta,li,.g posilions.
In accGrdance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
apparatus for l.dnsfe-,i-)g a stack of flat articles from a ca,l-idge 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 r~l'Dwer for opening the door when the hold bars are in
place;
front fingers 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 call.idge.
In accordance with the p,esenl invention, the apparatus further comprises:
rear fingers for sut~po,li"g the rear of the stack of flat articles;
a queuing station, including a queued stack support for suppoi ~ing the rear
of a queued stack of flat articles;
In accordance with a pr~feued embodiment of the pr~senl invention, there
is provided an apparalus for transferring a stack of flat articles from a cartridge
having an openable door and a longitudinally slidable rear stack support paddle
for supporting a rear of the stack, and queuing the stack for feeding to a flat
article processi"g machine, further including:
a movable mechanical arrn for placing the cartridge on and removing the
ca,l,idge from a ,eceiv;"g dock;
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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 bet~rlecn 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 ca,l,idge;
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 apparatus further comprises:
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 ~e~een a longitudinally s' ~le rear
stack support paddle and the rear of the stack;
a queuing station, including a queued stack support for supporting the rear
2û of a queued stack;
a drive for moving the rear finger with the stack, to retain the stack
betvl~cn the front finger and the rear finger during movement;
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a drive for moving the que-led stack support from bet~een a previously
queued stack and a newly ~ueued 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 positiGns.
Autost~cker
In accordance with a pr~fe~,ed e",boJi",ent of the pr~sent invention, a
method for transferring flat articles from an article p.~,cessi"g ",achi"e to a
cartridge in an output cor"pa,l",ent includes-
moving articles toward an open end of a cartridge docked at an output
co",pa,l",enl said ca,l,idge having a longitudinally slidable rear stack supportpaddle;
guiding the articles into the ca,l~idge to form a stack of articles in the
cartridge;
determining when the ca,l,idge should be removed from the output
COI "pa, I",enl
discG"ti"uing the movement of articles into the cal 1, idge when the
call,idge is to be removed from an output compartment;
closing a door of the call,idge while su~upolling the stack in an upright
position; and
removing the ca~l,id~e from the output co",pall",ent.
In accor~Jance with another embodiment of the present invention, an
appardl-Js for transferring flat articles from an article processi"g machine to a
cartridge in an output compartment includes:
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g
a t,dnsport for moving articles toward an open end of a cail,idge docked
at an output compartment said ca,l,idge having a longitudinally s d-~ e rear
stack support paddle;
an article guide for guiding articles into the ca,l,idge in a stack of articles
5 in the ca,lndge;
a sensor for determining when a call,idge should be removed from the
output cGmpa,l",ehl
a cohl,-"er for discontinuing the movement of articles to the cartridge
when the ca,l,idge 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 ca,l,idge from said output co",pa,l"~er,t.
Further in accordance with the present invention an apparatus for
transferring flat articles from an article processing machine to a cartridge in an
output compartment includes:
a drive for moving articles toward an open end of a cartridge docked at an
output cGmpail",ent said cailndge having a longitudinally sl~-~le rear stack
support paddle;
a sweep gate for guiding articles into the cartridge in a stack of articles
in the ca,l,idge;
a sensor for detemmining when a cartridge should be removed from the
output compartment;
an actuator for discontinuing the movement of articles to the cartridge
when the cartridge is to be removed from an output cGn,pa,l",eril
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a cam on the output co-"pa,l,..er,l for closing the cc-,l,idge door by means
of relative movement betwecn the cam and the door; and
a mechanical arm for removing the cartridge from the output compa, l,nent.
Joaqer
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, ~o~:aiJly l,anslatable while SUppOlti"g groups of flat
articles, each finger being rockable back and forth through a vertical centerline as
the fingers are forwardly l-anslaled to jostle the articles to align the bottom edges
1 0 thereof.
Also in accor~lance with the present invention, the appardtus as dehned
above further comprises a plurality of fixed cam lobes, with the fingers having a
cam follower mounted thereon to ride over the cam lobes as the fingers are
forwardly l,dnslated, thereby to impart a back and forth rocking motion through
a vertical ce"lelli"e as the fingers are forwardly l,dnslaled.
Robot
In accorJance with an embodiment of the present invention, apparalus for
aulo" ,alically inserting and removing cartridges from an article processing
machine incl-ldes a cartridge holding pldtroll";
an X-Y pOSitiOI~ 9 device mounted to the cartridge holding plal~ol", for
positioning the call,idge holding plafform at a specified location for delivering or
retrieving a ca,l,iJge;
a call,idge capturing arm including extendible arms for extending to and
supporting the ca,l,idge; and
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a drive for moving a hold bar into and out of the ca,l,idge.
Further in accorJance with the present invention the ca,l,idge holding
pldlro"" is rotatable about a vertical axis.
Also in accordance with the pr~sent invention the ca,l,idge holding
platror." is rotatable about a horizontal axis to align the extendible arms with the
cal ll idge.
Further in accordance with the present invention the X-Y positioning
device cG",p,ises a robot that includes an end effector for actuating a stack
shover into an output compartment.
Overall SYstem with Buffer
In accordance with an embodiment of the presenl invention a method for
sorting and feeding flat articles includes: placing a cartridge retaining a stack of
flat articles onto a ca,l,idge 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 col",oa, I",ents
each of the output co,-)pa,l",ents having a caill,idge contained therein;
moving articles into a selected cal ll idge in one of said plurality of
coi"pa,l",ents and as a stack in the cartridge;
sensing when the cartridge should be removed from an output
compai.l",ehl and
disconlinuing movement of articles into the cartridge when the ca,l,idge
is to be removed from an output cGI"pa~l"~erlt.
In accGrdance with this embodiment the method further col"prises:
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moving the ca,l,idge from the output compa,l",enl to a buffer shelf for
le",porary storage.
Further in accordance with the pr~:senl invention an apparatus for sorting
and feeding flat articles inc~udes- a carbidge receiving dock receiving a ca,l,idge
holding a stack of flat articles;
a pusher for removing articles as a group from the ca,l,idge;
a l,anspoll 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 output
compartments each of the output cGr"pa,l",ent~ having a cartridge contained
1 0 therein;
a l,anspo,l for driving articles into a selected ca,l,idge in one of the
plurality of compa.l,ne"ls to a stack in the cartridge;
a sensor for determining when a ca,t~idge should be removed from an
output cor"pa, l",ent, and
a conll Jl'er for JiacOnlil ,uing the movement of articles into the cartridge for
removal from an output compartment.
In accordance with this embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a
platform for removing the call,idge from an output compartment and placing the
call,idge in a buffer shelf.
Also in accordance with the pr~sei-l invention an apparatus for sorting and
feeding flat articles includes:
a call,idge having a longitudinally slidable rear stack support paddle for
supporting the rear of a stack of flat articles;
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a mechan ~a' arm for positioning the cartridge containing a stack of flat
articles at a cartridge receiving dock;
a cam for opening a door of said ca, ll idge by means of relative movement
batwecn the cartridge and the cartridge receiving dock;
a hold bar insertable into the ca,l.idge between the door and a front of the
stack of articles for s~"~po,ling the front of the stack to maintain 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 cartridge;
a drive for moving the front and rear fingers from the ca, ll idge 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 co"~pa~l~"ents each output compa,l",ent having a cartridge
therein;
a drive for moving said articles into a selected ca,l,idge in one of the
plurality of cGl"pa~l",~nls;
a sweep gate for guiding articles into a call,idge as a stack of articles in
the cal ll idge;
a sensor for when a cartridge should be removed from an output
co""~a~ ent
- a co"t,~' er for disabling the movement of articles into the cartridge when
the ca,l,idge is to be removed from an output con"~a,l",ent;
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an ~ctl~tor 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 between the cam and the door; and
a mechanical arm for removing the cartridge from an output cGIllpa~ ellt
for placement in a buffer shelf.
Also in accor~ance with the present invention a " letilod for sorting articles
into cal l, idges includes: determining the frequently used output CG" ,pa, I" ,e, lls
containing call,idges; and
desi~"~ling the most frequently used output con,pa,l",enls proximate to
one another.
Further in accGrdance with this embodiment the "~eti,od further aIIQCat;ng
compa,l"~enla in a buffer shelf ,~,o,~i",ate to one another for receiving ca,l,idges
from the most frequently used output compartments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
1~ For a more complete under~landing of the pr~senl invention and the
advantages thereof reference is now made to the fcl ow;.,g DETAILED
DESCRIPTION taken in conjunction with the acco",panying drawings in which:
FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a mail ca,l,idge handling system in
accordance with the p~sel)l 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 ca,l,idge for use in the autofeeder
system of FIGURE 2 depicted with the ca,l,idge door closed;
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FIGURE 3B is a pe.apective view of the cartridge of FIGURE 3A with the
ca, I,idge door opened;
FIGURE 3C is a perspe~tive view of the front end of the ca,l,idge of
FIGURE 3A entering the receiving dock of the aulofeeder system of FIGURE 2;
FIGURE 3D is a per~pecti~/e view of the front end of a cartridge of
FIGURE 3A during docking in the r~ceiv;"g dock of the autoreeder system of
FIGURE 3A;
FIGURE 4A is a schematic section view taken on the line 4A4A of
FIGURE 3A illustrating a ratchet carriage asse",bly for selectively locking a
cartridge rear stack support paddle in place in the locked position;
FIGURE 4B is a schell.dlic section view taken on the line 4A~A of
FIGURE 3A illu~lldtillg the ratchet ca"iage assel"bly for selectively locking the
cail,idge rear stack support paddle in place in the unlocked position;
FIGURE 5 is a side view partly in phanl~ln of the front portion of a
cal 1. idge 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
call.idge handling and transfer apparatus in accGr.Jance with the present
invention;
FIGURE 7 is a top view of the ca,l,idge support pldlfollll of the robotic
ca,l,idge handling and transfer apparatus of FIGURE 6;
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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
cartridge support plafform of FIGURE 7;
FIGURE 8 is a side view partly in phanlGr" of the ca,l,idge support
pldlrullll of FIGURE 7 sl)o~i~,g the e~lendible arm and stack support with a
release finger in the ,~l,dcted position;
FIGURES 9 and 9A-9M are schematic illusl,dlions of a sequence of
operations for docking a ca,l~idge to the autofeeder of FIGURE 2 unloading a
stack of mail, removing the cartridge and queuing the stack of mail;
FIGURES 10A-101 are sche",alic illusl,dlions of a sequence of operations
for the docking of a ca,hidge onto the cartridge receiving dock of the autofeeder
system of FIGURE 2, the unloading of the call,idge and the removing of the
cartridge from the dock;
FIGURES 11A-11L illustrate a sequence of operdtions for the robotic
ca,l,idge handling and transfer apparatus of FIGURE 6 moving cartridges
between a buffer shelf the autofeeder of FIGURE 2 and the output
col"pail",ents of a sorter of the mail sorting machine of FIGURE 1;
FIGURES 12A-12D show a pel~pecti~re of the sequence of operations for
20 aulo",dlically slackiny flat articles into a ca,bidge 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 of
the stack and removal of the ca,l,idge from the output cG",pa"",el,l
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FIGURES 1 3A-131 are schematic depictions of a sequence of operations
for the docking of an empty carl,idge into an output co",pail",ent of the sorter of
the mail sorting machine of FIGURE 1 the stacking of flat articles into the
cartridge and removing of a filled ca~l-idge from the output compartment;
FIGURE 14 is a pe,~pective view of an X-Y robotic ca,l,idge transfer
support plafforrn for the apparalus of FIGURE 6 having dual ca,l,idge support
pldtrO~ 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 16isatopviewofthefeed-through joggerofFIGURE 15 partly
in pl-antG",;
FIGURE 17 is an end view of the feed-through jogger of FIGURE 15
partly in phanto"" 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 en,bod; "ent of the present invention
showing the cam track and cam f~"~w~rs for causing back and forth rocking.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Refer,ing now to the dla.~inys in detail wherein like reference characters
designate like or similar parts throughout the views and initially to FIGURES 1
and 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 co""~,l,nents 20
ar,dnged in rows and columns each being adapted to receive a ca,l,idge 25 into
which mail (or other flat articles) may be autun,alically st~cked. The article
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handling system 10 also includes an X-Y ca,bidge transfer and handling robot 30
having a ca,l,idge support plafform 35 for llarlsrt:llillg ca,l,idges between
components of the system. The article handling system 10 pr~fer;lbly also
includes a buffer shelf 40 (the rear is depicted in FIGURE 1) having an array ofcompa, I",ents 45 for telnpor~rily receiving and storing filled and unfilled ca, l,idges
25. The article handling system 10 also pr~fer~bly includes an autofeeder 50
including a ca, ll idge docl~i"g station 55 a queuing station 60 and a
jogging/edging station 65 leading to a feeding station 70. It will be understoodthat although for convenience the terrn "mail" will often be used herein to refer
to the flat articles being handled in accor~lance with the method and apparatus of
the present invention it is to be expressly understood that flat articles other than
mail including forexample maga~ines and books can also be handled.
The major components of the system will now be desc~ibed in tum
beginning with the construction of a cartridge 25.
Cartridqe
Ref~"i"g now to FIGURES 3A-3D 4A 4B and 5 call,idge 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 manipul~tion by the
X-Y ca, l,idge transfer and handling robot 30. The ca, b idge 25 can also be readily
man;p~lated carried and moved by humans when desired.
The ca,l,idge is generally r~ctarig.llar with a generally flat bottom 82
generally flat side walls 85 and 86 a cartridge door 90 pivotable doJ~ ardly on
hinges 9~ at a front end 100 and a handle 105 at a rear end 110. r, ~ferably thecall,idge door 90 is spring-loaded by a spring 112 into the closed position. The
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handle 105 may simply be a bar, leaving the rear end 110 otherYI.se 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 ca~l~idge can also be used, depending upon the
flat articles to be handled and the capacity desired.
The ca,l,idge door 90 ~,eferably 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 comers, which is adapted tomate 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 position. 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 ca, ll idge docking
station 55 (or into an output co",pal l",ent 20 in the article handling system 10 the
bottom end 132 of the latch release 130 rides over a ramp or unlocking cam 135
on the ca,l,idge docking station 55, and is pushed upward, thus lifting latch 120
and releasing the ca,l~idge door 90 so that it can be opened.
The ca,l,idge door 90 includes two open notches 140, exterlJing from the
bottom edge of the door to about its middle. The open notcl~es 140 permit a set
of hold bars 145 in docking station 55, as 'epict~d in FIGURES 2 and FIGURES
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-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 unde,~lood 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 ca,l,idge door 90 canal~o 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 extemal 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
AMENDED SHEET
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of the cartridge. The door 90 is then provided with appr~priate chal)nels in theinterior 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 extemally actuated), or in the door itself, may also be employed.
The cartridge door 90 is fitted with an S-shaped cam f~"~wer 165 at the
lower left and right comers. Although a sy",r"et,ical cam f~"Dwer at each of
these comers is pr~e"ed, for reducing twisting stresses on the door, one alone
may be employed.
Referring to FIGURES 3C, 3D, and 5, to begin the motion of open;ng the
door 90, the lower free end 170 of each cam follower 165iS designed to engage
a first wedge or cam 172 in the docking station 55 as the cartridge is inserted into
the docking station 55 (or an output com~l~a,l,nent 20). The upper free end 175
of the cam f~"~w6r 165 is designed to engage a second wedge or cam 177 in the
docking station 55 as the ca~l,idge 25 is inserted into the docking station 55 (or
an output compa,l"~enl 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",enls 20. This is more clearly dsp ted in FIGURES 3C and 3D.
FIGURE 5 depicts, moving right to left, and somewhat overlapping, 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,
call,idge fully docked, with the first and second cams operating on the lower and
upper ends 170 and 175 of the cam f~ wer 165 as indicated, the different stages
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being separated by alle",~lingly dotted lines. Of course as the ca,l,idge 25 is
removed the process is reversed closing the cartridge door 90.
The intemal spring-loaded rear stack support paddle 180 is included in the
cartridge 25 to hold the stack 75 upright at the back end of the ca,l,idge 25 and
to apply a small degree of force to the stack to keep the stack upright. As
illusl,~led in FIGURES 3A 3B 4A and 4B the rear stack support paddle 180 is
mounted to a ca~iage assembly 185 slidably mounted through a slot 190 in the
bottom 82 of the c~ idge in an u,uv:..dly 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 dicposed in the open
channel 195 so that the carriage asse" lbly slides smoothly forward and backwardin the open channel 195. In lieu of the recirculating ball bea, i"gs telescoping ball
bearing slides such as found on fumiture drawers may be used. In addition
plastic or PTFE bushings. or other exl-ed ~nl means for longitudinal bearings orbushings 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 cl,a"nel and is engaged by a push rod (not shown) in the docking
station 55 or output compartment 20 when the ca~ l, idge 25 is docked. This action
pushes the shaft 200 longitudinally inwardly against the force of the spring 181.
The round shaft 200 is mounted to be movable sidev:ays to a degree in the slots
205 and includes a cam f~l Dwer 215 adapted to ride on a wedge-shaped cam
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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 undemeath the bottom 82 to
maintain symmetry, but does not have an open slot or intemal mechanisms.
The rear stack support paddle 180 is urged forwardly by a ~cGnslanl 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 atlached
to the bottom of the cartridge 25, near the front end. The spring force is
pr~ferably app~oxi" lalely 1.4 pounds on the paddle 180 toward the ca, l. idge door
90.
When the ca, ll idge 25 is removed from either the docking station 55 or an
output compartment 20, the intemal rear stack support paddle 180 is locked in
place by a ratchet mecha"ism that prevents the paddle from moving away from
the ca, ll idge door 90, which might result in the stack of mail to falling or becoming
d;soryanked. To accomplish this, the car,iage asse",bly 185 includes ratchet
teeth 235 adartPd 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 fcllower~ 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
assel"bly 185 become d;sengaged. 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
retums the shaft longitudinally, and sideways, to its original posilion, engaging the
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- 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 fOl~-dldl~ 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
enta,)yled with the mail. As shown in FIGURE 3B notcl-es ~55 in the front of
side 85 allow the enl~ ~nce 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 ",ember 251. The switch actuating exlension activates extemal switches
(not shown) in the output cG")pa,l-"ent 20 to signal to the article handling system
10 that the ca-llidge 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 appro~,iale action) if such has not occurred.
Although the actuating extension 250 preferably actuates a switch mechanically
any suitable sensor (such as pl-otoelectric dett:.1Or) for determining the location
(z~hsol~lte or relative) of the rear stack support paddle 180 may be employed.
For l~asons of economy the construction of the body of the cartridge 25
is preferably r~inror ed injection molded plastic. The rear stack support paddle180 cartridge door 90 door latches 120 carriage assembly 185 and other
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- 25 -
moving coi"ponenls are preferably steel for reasons of sl-en~tl, and durability, but
may be made of other suitable materials, if desired.
Autofeeder
With initial l~rer~nce to FIGURES 1, 2, 3B, 3C and 5, there is illustrated
the autofeed system 50, for receiving ca,l,idges 25 filled with stacked mail andaulol,lalically 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 ~utof¢eder 50 includes the doc~i"g station 55 for r~ceiv;"g a mail-filled
cartridge 25, a mail stack u~.loader 275 operating between the docking station 55,
the queuing station 60, and the pg~er/eds~ing station 65, leading to the feedingstation 70 of sorter 15. These will be desc,iL,ed in tum.
1. Dockina Station
The docking station 55 includes a receiving shelf 280, a receiving channel
290 in the shelf for receiv;"g the cartridge door 90 without i"le,rerence, the
cartridge door latch unlocking cam 135 and the ca,l,idge 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 ~i~placed from one another to line-up when the cartridge
125 is inserted with the lower cam f~ wer 170 and upper cam f~llov.er 175. In
addition, ca,l,idge alignment guides (not shown) pr~f~rdbly guide channels 195
and 221 on ~eceiv;ng shelf 280 into the dock end wall 285. The two hold bars
145 are provided in the docking station 55, extending upwdrdly from a common
vertical member.
A ca,bi~lge 25 with a horizontal stack 75 is placed onto the receiving shelf
280 and moved for~:drdly to the end wall 285 by automated or manual means.
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Referring to FIGURE 5, beginning with position (1), as the ca,l,idge 25 slides
forward, the unlocking cam 135 in the docking station 55 actuates the boffom end132 of the latch release 130, which in tum lifts latch 120, thereby releasing the
latch from the latch bar 115, thus unlocking the ca,l,idge door 90. As the
cal ll idge 25 continues to move forward (to the left, in the figures) on the receiving
she1f 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 ca,l,idge 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 IOW enough to ride under the
wedge of the cam 177. As the c~ll,idge 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 ca,llidge is abutted against the dock end
wall 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 FIGlJRES 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 cartridge moves forward. The
hold bars 145 are spring-loaded to exert a force on the front surface of the stack
of mail, while permitting the hold bars 145 to move with the ca,~,idge as it moves
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forward. The hold bars 145 are mounted to move for ~-drd at the same speed as
the cartridge. As the ca~l~idge door 90 opens the hold bars 145, passi.,g through
open notches 140, hold the front pieces of mail in place, keeping the stack fromfalling as the door is opened. As previously l"entioned, just as the cs,l-idge 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 pr~p~rtllion for unloading
of the mail stack from the ca~l~idge. The ins6,lion of a ca,l,idge onto the
receiving shelf 280, and the opening of the cal ll idge door 90 around the hold bars
145, are schematically depicted, slepJ~;~.e in order, in FIGURES 9, 9A and 9B.
Refe,.i-,g to FIGURE 2, a stack un'~ad~r 275 iS used to support and
remove the stack of mail from the cartlidge 25 after it is docked, and move the
stack to the queuing station 60. The unloader 275 includes a rear finger car,iage
300 and a front finger carriage 305 mounted on guide rails 310 and 315 running
parallel to the length of the aulofeeder 50, behind a slotted stack support wall320. Each of the finger c~niages 300 and 305 iS i"deper,cler,lly movable
longitudinally along the guide rails 310 and 315 betv:3en the docking station 55and the ~ueuing station 60 by means of drive motors (not shown), preferably
under computer control.
Each of the finger c811 iages 300 and 305 includes a set of fingers, 325 and
330, respectively, that are mounted to be extended and r~t,acted, in and out from
the respective c~"iage 300 or 305, through the slotted stack support wall 320.
The rear finger carriage 300 also includes a rotatable stack pusher 335,
p~ererdbly generally in the form of a hook, and mounted to be rotatable into, and
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out of, the open top of the rear end of the ca, l,idge 25, behind rear stack support
paddle 180.
With particular refer~nce to FIGURES 9C to 9M, the operdlion of the
unloader 275 will now be descriL,ed. It is u"deralood that, prior to the position
depicted 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 ca"iage 300 adjacent the rear end
of the cartridge 25 and front finger ca"iage 305 adjacent the front end of the
cartridge, such that when the fingers 330 are e~lended the hold bars 145 (when
in the stack holding position) will be betw2cn 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 exteoded through the slotted stack support wall 320, just
in front of hold bars 145, as shown in FIGURE 9C. Next, as deFi 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 ca,l, idge
25, behind the rear stack support paddle 180, and the rear finger carriage 300,
with the fingers 325 still r~lrdcled, is moved forward until the pusher 335 justcontacts the back of rear stack support paddle 180.
The rear finger ca,-iage 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 ca~,iage 305 with the fingers 330 extended, isdriven forward, with the mail stack 75 retained beh~_cn the extended fingers and
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- 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. Rec-ause of the
built-in spac;- ,g 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 ca" iage 300 then extends the fingers 325 into the forwardly open channels
245 of the rear stack support paddle 180, bet~een the support paddle and the
rear end of the mail stack 75, without interfering with the mail. The mail stack is
now supported betY~een 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
ca, l, idge 25.
2. Queuinq Station
At this point, both front and rear finger car,iages 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 rui_t-~'e on a guide shaft 341.It should be noted that, in FIGURE 9G, an optional tilting edging table 345
is dep eted 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. I lowevcr, 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
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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 pr~fe"~d.
At this time the now-empty cs,l,idge 25 iS removed from the docking
station 55 by manual or automatic means. Of course as it does so the cal ll idge
5 door 90 is closed latched and the rear stack support paddle 180 locked in
reverse order to the operdtion that occurred when the ca,l,idge was inserted.
When a mail stack 75 from the cartridge 25 reaches the queuing station
60 the queuing station paddle 340 enyages the fingers 330 of the forwarding mail
stack 75, as illustrated in FIGURE 91. The fingers 330 maintains pressure on the
mail 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 togell ,er forming a 'new
previously placed stack 75', as illustrated in FIGURE 9L. The fingers 325 are
then .el,acled into the rear finger carriage 300, leaving the arriving stack 75 (now
a part of 'new stack 75') suppoiled by the queuing station paddle 340, the
20 starting point of the pr~cess as depicted in FIGURE 9M. At this point both the
front and rear finger carriages 300 and 305 are free to move back to the dochi-,g
station 55, to prepare to unload another stack of mail from a ca,l,idge 25 and the
process repeats.
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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 operdlion of the jogger/edging station 65 will now be
described below.
3. Feed-Throuqh Joqaer/Edqer
The jogger/edging station 65 pr~ferdbly employs a feed-through upstanding
tab jogger/edger 350 or an improved rocking tab jogger/edger 350'. Wlth 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 betv:~en 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 (approxi",alely 5-10 pieces) in a generally vertical orientationtoward 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
he mail through friction toward the back wall 345. At the back wall 345 there is
AMENDED S~lEEt
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,olatably 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, leslli~ lg the ability of each mail
piece to move independently.
In accordance with th~e pr~sent 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
A~EI~ID~D S~tEEr
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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 substantially
vertical olieiltdtion. When the pieces are vertical, the heavy pieces tend not to
restrict the lighter pieces. This allows each mail piece to move i"dependently
without the weight of adjacent pieces r~st.i~ 9 movement, thus improving the
jogging/edging t:rr~ e.-~.
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 feedi, ,9 station 70 is conventional, and
consiats of a guide roller 71 for r,ictiGnably 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 .eading 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
described.
Auluslacker at Sorter OUtPUt
With reference to FIGURES 12A-12D and 13, the autGn.alic slacl~ing of
mail into ca,l,idge 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, l" ,ent 20, will
- now be desc,ibed. ~
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-34-
The sorter 15 distributes the mail into one of output cG",pa,l,nenls 20,
arranged in rows and columns. Each of the output compartments 20 includes a
feed belt 390 encircling a roller 395 a sweep gate 400 and a cartridge receivingdock (not shown) for receiving and holding a cartridge 25 during loading of the
ca,l,idge. The call,idge receiving dock includes a wedge for L."lalching 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 a~t~d by the switch actuating extension 250 on the rear stack support
paddle 180. Since these devices are ~r.anged and oper~te in generally same
manner as the respective devices in the call.idge docking station 55, already
des~,iL,ed these items need not be further desc-ibed in detail.
The call,idge 25 fits into the output con.pall",enl 20 in a manner similar
to the ca, ll idge dGchil ,g station 55. That is as the ca, l.idge 25 is inserted into the
compall.nenl 20 the door locking latch 120is ~el~ascd the ca,-iage asser"bly
185is rele~sed and the can,idge door 90 is opened. The co",pall."ent 20 also
includes a switch or other sensor (not shown), ~ctuated by the rear stack support
paddle 180 in the c~l 1- iJge, to notify the sorter 15 when the cal ll idge is nearly full
(approximately 80%) full empty and/or the relative degree of fullness of the
ca~ ge. The caltliJge 25 also pr~ferably ~c~ tes a switch (not shown) in the
cor,",a, l,r~ent 20 to notify the sorter 15 or supervisory computer that the cartridge
25iS properly placed.
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When in an output compa,l-"ent 20, the cail,idge 25 ~cceptC and stacks
mail directly from the sorter 15 during a sort. The pieces of mail 80 are fed into
the ca,l,idge by the drive belt 390 and, guided by the sweep gate ~00.
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 ca,l-idge 25, for ,eceiv;"g upstanding fingers 420 of anend effector 425 of a robot ca,tlidge handler (not shown in FIGURES 12A-12D).
During slacl~i.,g of mail into the cail,idge 25 the sweep gate 400 is
positioned as shown in FIGURE 12A with bars 410 and 405 straddling the drive
tO belt 390 so that mail pieces driven toward the ca,l,idge 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) surp'ies a gentle urging force against the
rear of the stack to assist in orderly slacl~ing of the mail pieces.
When the cartridge 25 is nearly full (app(oxi",alely 80%), the stack support
paddle 180 in the cartridge ~ctuates a switch (not shown) in the output
co" ,pa, lmen~ 20 notifying the sorter 15 or supervisory computer that the cartridge
is nearly full and should be replaced with an empty cartridge.
In the pr~sent invention, sorting operations can continue unab~te~ during
chal)y;.,g of ca,l,idges. To do so, when the sorter 15 or supervisory computer
receives nGlificali~n by means of the switch or sensor that the ca, tl iJge 25 in an
output col"palll"ent 20 is nearly full, the sorter 15 automatically ~edesignatesanotl,er output cG"",a,l",ent having a still-empty ca,l,idge as the receiving
location for that category of mail. The ,~designation is completed sG.newhat prior
to the time the catl~idg~ 25 is CGn ~!~ly full beca-lse the sorter 15 includes a
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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
co",pa, l",ent 20 has been run through the sorter so that no more mail is available
to be routed to the full or nearty-full cartridge 25, the cail,idge removal operation
can begin. This process is depicted in FIGURES 12B-12D. First as shown in
FIGURE 12B, a robot end-act~l~tor 430 (sche",alically 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 ca,l,idge to
fully shove the end of the mail stack into the ca,l,idge. Meanwhile the end-
effector 425 of the robot with support members 427 and upstanding fingers 420
is moved under the cartridge 25. As illustrated in FIGURE 12C the end~ffector
425 and upstanding fingers 420 are raised surfic;e.~lly to insert the upstandingfingers into the call,idge through the bottom notches 160 provided in the bottom82 of the call,idge 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 call,idge extraction while the cartridge door 90closes as well as assisting in securely holding the call,idge for the removal
operation. The ca, I,idge may then be pulled out of the compa, I"lent via the end-
effector 425, as illustrated in FIGURE 12D. The end-~ctuator 430 is also
r~l, acted at this time and the sweep gate 400 retums to a starting open position
preferably by a retum spring on the sweep gate.
As noted above upon insertion or exl,action of the call,idge 25 from the
output compartment 20 the cal ll idge door 90 aulomdlically opens and closes by
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means of the cam f.licJ~ r 165 on the bottom of the door the stack support
paddle 180 is ,cl~ased and engayed respectively in the substantially the same
way as described above with respect to insertion and removal of the ca,l,idge 25into and from the docking station 55 of the autofeeder 50.
The steps of insertion of an empty ca, ll idge 25 into the output
co",pa,l",ent 20 are sche",dtic illustrated in FIGURES 13A-13D. FIGURE 13A
depicts an empty cartridge being moved into the output comp~,l,oent 20 by
means of support members 427 with the upsland;.,g 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 co""~a,l",ent 20. FIGURE 13D depicts the
ca,l,idge 20 just after docking with the latch 120 disengaged the rear stack
support paddle 180 un ~oksd and ca,l(idge door 90 open. The cartridge is now
ready to receive mail guided by open sweep gate 400.
Tuming now to FIGURES 13E-131 the process of removal of a call,idge
fllled with flat articles from output compartment 20 is illustrated. In FIGURE 13E
the cartridge is shown with the cartridge door 90 open the sweep gate 400 open
the end-effector 425 has entered the co,,,,ua,l,,,e,,l undemeath the cartridge but
the upstanding fingers 420 have not been raised. FIGURE 13F depicts the step
in the p,ucess 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 13G shows the cal Ll idge 25 just as it has moved away from the dock of
the output cGmpa,l,nent 20 enough to lock the rear stack support paddle 180 by
movement of the round shaft 200. FIGURE 13H depicts the cartridge 25 after
, . . .....
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having been moved away from the dock of the output cor"pa, Imenl 20 far enough
to close the ca,l,idge door 90, and to engage the latch 120. FIGURE 131 depicts
the c~ll,idge after being entirely removed from output coln~,all~"el)l 20.
Call,id~e Transfer and Handlinq Robot
The cal ll idge l,anster and handling robot 30, which pr~ferdbly is employed
to move the call,idge 25 betv/ecn the docki"g station 55 the output con,pall",el)t
20, and/or a co~"~.all",ent 45 of the buffer shelf 40 will now be described withreference p,i",arily to FIGURES 6-8.
With reference first to FIGURES 6 and 7, the ca,l,iJge t,dnsfer and
handling robot 30 includes a carriage asse",bly 31 mounted to move on a verticalsupport column 32 that in tum 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
car, iage asser"bly further includes the cal ll idge support platru"n 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 calllidge support plafform 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 p6lrur"~ 35 is errected by the of servo motor
38b driving cable 36b and hence driving a pinion (not shown) against a rack ~notshow) on the column 32.
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With ~t:fer~:nce now to FIGURE 8, in order to securely grasp and hold the
ca, ll idges 25 during removal inse~ lion and t, dnspo, ldlion operations the cartridge
support plafform 35 of the ca,tlidge transfer and handl;"g robot 30 inciudes theend-effector 425 including the pair of extensible support ",embers 427, which are
normally roughly parallel with a horizontal plane. These support nlelllber~ 427
arms are extended by operation of a servo motor 44 on the cartridge support
pldtruiln 35, through a chain drive 46.
Each of the extensible support members 427 includes an L-shaped
u~ stand.ng fingers 420 pivotally mounted at the end thereof. The uualanding
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 cal ll idge support pldlrUI 111 35 also includes the separate end-actuator
430 driven by a servo motor, for operatively pivoting the sweep gate 400.
O~eration of Cartridae Transfer and Handlina Robot
The operaliGn of the ca,l,idge transfer and handling robot 30 to t,ar,~fer
cartridges 25 between the sorter output colnpa,l",ents 20, the docking station 55,
and the coi"pa,l",enls 45 of the buffer shelf 40 will now be described, with
primary rer~r~nce to FIGURES 11A-L.
FIGURE 11A shows the cartridge transfer and handling robot 30 in the
"home" position without a cartridge. In FIGURE 11 B, the robot 30 has extracted
a full call,idge 25 from a compa,l",ent 45 of the buffer shelf 40 (for clarity the
stack of flat articles or mail is not shown). As depicted in FIGURE 11 C, the X-Y
servo motors are ach~ated to rotate the robot 30 toward the docking station 55 Of
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feeder assei"bly 50, for resorting. Altematively, the robot 30 extracts filled
carl,idges from the buffer shelf 40, for l,dnsfer to the feeder asselnbly 50 or
empty cartridges for transfer to an output compartment 20.
As illustrated in FIGURE 11 D the servo motors are ~chlated to lower the
pldlror"~ 35 and push the cb,l,idge 25 onto the docl~ing station 55, by means ofend effector 425 and support members 427. As depicted in FIGURE 11E, the
c~,l,id~e 35 has been inserted into the doc~i"g station 55. After the ca,l,idye 25
has been unloaded at the docking station 55, the robot 30 removes the empty
cartridge, as illustrated in FIGURE 11F. If not prtsenlly needed, the empty
ca,l,idge can now be temporarily stored in a cGi"pa,l."ent 45 of buffer shelf 40as depicted in FIGURE 11G.
Refe"i,~g to FIGURE 11H the robot 30 has been repos;~iol~ed to remove
a filled cartridge 25 from an~output cor"pa,l",ent 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 tumed and
beginning the Gperdtiol- to place the ca,tlidge 25 into a Compalllllenl 45 of buffer
shelf 40. FIGURE 11K illustrates the robot 30 in the middle of removing a
ca,l,idge 25 from a buffer shelf 40. Finally FIGURE 11L depicts the robot 30 in
the process of putting a cartridge into a compb,l",enl 20 of array 19.
The preferred Irlt:lllOd of ope,atiGn is to move filled cartridges from the
buffer shelf 40 to the feeder system 55; empty cb,l,idges from the feeder to thebuffer; empty cartridges from the buffer 40 to the output cGm~Jblli"er,ls 20; filled
cbll,idges from the output cornpa~l")el)la 20 to the buffer 40; and so on. Thus
the buffer 40 prererably serves as an intermediate "stopover" point between the
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feeder and the output compa,l~enls and from the output cG",pa,l",enta to the
feeder. If the supervisory computer determines however, that a particular
call,idge transfer will be more erl.~- .ll if made directly, without the i"tel",ediate
step of the buffer, the robot will transfer filled or empty ca, l, idges directly betv een
the feeder and the output co",pall.nel)l, and vice versa.
Although not shown in FIGURES 11A-11L, it is to be understood that,
when the ca,l,idge support platform 35 is propelly positioned, the upstanding
fingers 420 are lowered (or raised), and the extensible support ",e",ber~ 427
extended (or retracted) as necessary, to ,oosition the upstanding fingers 420
directly underneath mating notches 160 in the front end of the ca,l,idge 25 and
to move the fingers 420 up into the notches 160 in the call,idge 25, at the
appr~p,iale times, as previously desc,it,ed.
It should be noted that, if the u~,slandi"g 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 cartridge door 90 open in
the same manner that the fingers 420 function in removing a filled cartridge from
the output cG",pa,l",ent 20. I low~vcr for reasons of maximum utilization of therobot 30 it is preferled 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 discharging the call,idge 25, before it is docked and
ull'. a~ed if desired.
As can be seen in FIGURE 11A-11L some embodi",ent~ of the output
array 19 of output co"~pa~ enls 20 may include a top row or tier that is slanteddownwardly a few deg,ees. The reason for the slant is to facilitate manual
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removal of mail and/or ca,t~idges from the top tier when manual removal of the
ca, ll idges is desired or necess~ry in case of breakdowns of the ca, ll idge handling
robot 30. Mail must continue to be processed ,tgar.lless of a breakdown of the
ca,llidge transfer and handling robot 30 and many such slanted tier arrays are
5 already in operation. Thus it is desirable that the ca, ll idge l,dr,sfer and handling
robot 30 be able to acco~modate such a slanted configuration. To do so the
cd,l.idge support asse~"l;ly is mounted to the collar having a mount rotatable to
about a hori onlal axis. The rotation is effected by means of a servo motor
under computer control pe""itling the end-effector 425 to reach the slanted top
1 0 shelf.
R~fe"i"g to FIGURE 14, in order to speed up the cartridge insertion and
removal process a dual plalro,." robot 30 riding on a bottom rail 34', is provided
configured with dual cal l,idge support plat~l " ,s 35 . By the use of dual ca, l, idge
support plalrulllls 35', the robot 30 is configured to insert and/or remove two
call,idges per "trip" thus maximizing the efficiency of use of the robot 30'.
In order to ",axi",i~e the usefulness of the sorter 15, in accordance with
the present invention a computer is suitably proy,d",r,~ed so that when the
cartridge 25 in a designated output cornpa,l",enl has been filled or nearly filled
as indicated by the sensed position of the rear stack support paddle 180 or
20 during the process of removal of a cartridge prior to insertion of an empty
cartridge the computer aulumalically instructs the sorter 15 or a supervisory
computer to redesignate another output colnpd, l",ent 20, on the fly to enable the
sorter to continue to sort to the ,t:designaled output locdlion until an empty
ca,l,idge is fully reinserted into the output compartment.
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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 locdlions~ or based upon ~eai "i- ~y" the probability
of the various sort localions based upon record;"g of info""dlion from prior sorts.
5 The high-occurrence d~sli"dlions are grouped together in the array 19, and in
buffer shelf 40, to I naxi, (,i~e efficiency of Cdl l~ idge inse, liGn, removal, and transfer
between the buffer shelf 40, the array 19, and the docl~i"g station 55 of feeding
asse",bly 50.
It should be noted that, although the invention is iilustrated and described
in conjunction with a sorter, the invention is useful in connection with other
machines for autollldlically handling and/or processing flat articles and mail, for
example, envelope addr~ssi, ~9 machines, labeling machines, cl Idl dcter recognition
machines, and bar code printing machines.
Although prerel,ed and altemate embodiments of the present invention
have been illustrated in the accon ,panying drawings and described in the
fo,ego.ng DETAILED DESCRIPTION, itwill be u"deralood thatthe invention is not
limited to the embodi,nenls dicclQsed, but is capable of numerous
rearrangel"ents, modifications and substihltions of parts and elements without
departing from the spirit of the invention.
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