Front and back stacker for high speed sorter/reader apparatus

A front/back stacker receptacle control module for high speed reader/sorter apparatus comprising:

• a base member providing mounting means for item drive means associated with said apparatus,
• said base member comprising a unitary, demountable, structurally rigid assembly, including integral means for locating two or more such assemblies contiguous to one another effective to provide a linear item pathway therethrough,
• means on said base member providing oppositely disposed item diverting pathways for operative association with individual item stacker receptacles,
• item columnating means operably associated with said item diverting pathways for columnating entering items,
• item diverting means operably associated with means providing said item diverting pathways effective to divert incoming items from a linear, straight line path of movement to an angular path of movement effective to cause said items to enter one or the other of two oppositely disposed front back stacker pocket receptacles,
• said item diverting means including a gate formed by a pair of confronting, rigid, lightweight members,
• drive means for selectively moving said item diverting means from one path of movement to another, and
• means operably associated with said diverting means for indicating the relative position of said diverting means with respect to either the front or the back stacker receptacle pathway or the straight through pathway.

A front/back stacker for high speed reader/sorter apparatus comprising:

• demountable means providing a plurality of curvilinear oppositely disposed item guiding pathways for directing item/documents into a selected receiving pocket or receptacle operably associated therewith or to a straight line linear pathway;
• item diverting means located relative to said pathways and operably positionable effective to cause said items to enter a selected one of said pathways or to pass on into said straight line pathway;
• means for moving said diverting means in response to pocket identification signals derived from an item so as to position said diverting means in a selected open pocket position presenting an unobstructed pathway for said items either into a pocket receptacle or into the straight line linear pathway;
• means for indicating out of a total number of available pocket indications which pocket has been selected for receiving an item;
• first sensing means at the entering end of each item guiding pathway for sensing the location of an item so as to prevent item overlap, double items and the absence of items;
• and
• second sensing means integral with said diverting means for sensing the presence of an item at the diverting means indicating that the item is entering the selected pocket to which it has been directed or the linear pathway to the next adjacent front/back stacker.