Mail processing double separator and sensing assemblies and methods

A double separator assembly for a mail processing system comprising:

• one or more mail feed belts, and a plurality of mail feed rollers wherein the mail feed belt(s) are functionally supported by the mail feed rollers, and wherein the mail feed belt(s) facilitate movement of mail items through the double separator assembly;
• a friction assembly including a friction component mounted to a friction assembly hinge, a plurality of friction assembly rollers, at least one friction assembly belt, the friction assembly belt(s) supported by the friction assembly rollers such that the belts are substantially tangent to the friction component, and the friction component being substantially nonrotatable;
• a mail driving assembly, upstream from the friction assembly and in functional relation thereto, including a substantially rotatable idler roller, a plurality of driving assembly rollers, at least one driving assembly belt, the assembly belt(s) functionally supported by the driving assembly rollers such that the driving assembly belt(s) are substantially tangent to the idler roller, at least one roller providing motion to the belt(s), and wherein at least one driving assembly belt comprises one or more openings through which a vacuum may be drawn to provide a force on the mail item directed toward the belt(s) to hold the mail item against the belt(s);
• and
• a mail sensing assembly wherein the mail sensing assembly is positioned to sense mail items passing into the driving assembly and provides a signal to reduce the flow rate of mail items into the double separator assembly.

A mail processing method used in a mail processing assembly comprising:

• feeding mail items into the mail processing assembly;
• generating a frictional force against the mail items fed into the mail processing assembly;
• generating a force on the mail items at least partially opposing the frictional force;
• and
• wherein when feeding two mail items into the mail processing assembly, an inner mail item and an outer mail item, the inner and outer mail items at least partially adjacent to one another, the force of friction on the inner mail item is greater than the force exerted on the outer mail item so that the outer mail item is separated from the inner mail item.

A mail sensing assembly used in a mail processing system comprising:

• a conveyor system to facilitate movement of mail items through the mail sensing assembly;
• a sensor positioned to sense mail items passing through the mail processing system;
• a mail feeder assembly electrically connected to the sensor;
• wherein upon sensing a mail item the sensor reduces the flow rate of mail from the feeder assembly.