# US 10,118,202 B2 · Method of sorting postal articles into a sorting frame with the sorted articles being counted automatically

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- Number: US 10,118,202 B2
- Document ID: US10118202B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/765,789
- Filed: 2015-04-15
- Published: 2017-07-20
- Granted: 2018-11-06
- Earliest claimed: 2014-07-21
- Assignees: Solystic
- Applicants: Solystic
- Inventors: Belkacem Benyoub
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10118202B2

## CPC

- B07C 7/005: {Computer assisted manual sorting, e.g. for mail}
- G06F 18/28: Determining representative reference patterns, e.g. by averaging or distorting; Generating dictionaries
- G06V 30/1914: {Determining representative reference patterns, e.g. averaging or distorting patterns; Generating dictionaries, e.g. user dictionaries}
- G06V 30/224: of printed characters having additional code marks or containing code marks
- G06V 30/424: Postal images, e.g. labels or addresses on parcels or postal envelopes
- B07C: POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING (specially adapted for a specific purpose covered by another class, see the relevant place, e.g. A43D33/06, B23Q7/12)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING

## Abstract

A method of sorting postal articles into a postal sorting frame comprising sorting slots, in which method said articles to be sorted are placed in a stack, and the articles are taken one-by-one from the top of the stack so as to place each of them in a sorting slot, and digital images of the top of the stack are formed automatically at a certain rate, is characterized by the following steps: a) recording said digital images in the memory of a data-processing unit; b) mutually comparing said digital images on the basis of a certain graphical resemblance criterion, so as to form image models, each of which is representative of similar-looking digital images; c) associating each image model with a persistence time; and d) applying a time filter to said image models so as to eliminate those models whose persistence time is less than a certain threshold value, the remaining number of models serving to count the sorted postal articles automatically.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of sorting postal articles into a postal sorting frame comprising sorting slots, in which method said articles to be sorted are placed in a stack, and the articles are taken one-by-one from the top of the stack so as to place each of them in a sorting slot, and digital images of the top of the stack are formed automatically at a certain rate, said method including the following steps:
a) recording said digital images in the memory of a data-processing unit;
b) mutually comparing said digital images on the basis of a certain graphical resemblance criterion, so as to form image models, each of which is representative of one or more successive digital images that are similar-looking;
c) associating each image model with data indicating a persistence time; and
d) applying a time filter to said image models so as to eliminate those models whose persistence time is less than a certain threshold value, the remaining image models serving as a basis for automatically counting the sorted postal articles that are sorted in the slots of the frame.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, wherein the graphical resemblance criterion that is used is a combination of a plurality of different graphical resemblance criteria.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, wherein an image model is formed on the basis of the most precocious digital image among said successive digital images that are similar-looking.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A method according to claim 1, wherein, for each current image model, a digital image signature is computed that is made up of a postal component that is representative of the textual characteristics of a postal address, and of a graphical component that is representative of the physical characteristics of a digital image, and in that the signature of the current image model is compared with the signature of a preceding image model, and, if their signatures match, said current and preceding image models are grouped together in the same image model.