Mail singulation and culling system

A system for culling and singulating mixed mail pieces including flats comprising in combination:

• at least one receiving station, an input conveyor for depositing said mail pieces in said receiving station, a delivery station disposed in contiguity with said receiving station,
• common transport means linking said receiving station to said delivery station, the portion of said transport means within said receiving station being so situated and having physical dimensions such that it captures a limited number of predetermined types of the mail pieces deposited within said receiving station, and conveys them to said delivery station, said receiving station including means for selectively precluding the capture of any mail pieces by said transport means,
• a chute disposed below said receiving station for catching those mail pieces not captured by said transport means, means coupling said chute to said input conveyor for continuously recirculating at least a portion of the uncaptured mail pieces to said receiving station,
• singulator means comprising an inclined slide coupled to said delivery station for receiving the mail pieces furnished to said delivery station by said transport means, said singulator means separating said last mentioned pieces from the other to effect a stream of individual pieces down said slide,
• a size detection station located along said slide and downstream from said singulator means for measuring the dimensions of said mail pieces and thereby determining the respective mail categories to which they belong, and
• a plurality of gates under the control of said size detection station for diverting from said stream of mail pieces, those pieces belonging to predetermined categories.