Feeder system for a mail sorter

A feeder system for a mail sorter comprising a feed conveyor station for initially receiving a plurality of individual items of mail, a singulation station downstream from said feed conveyor station for removing items of mail one at a time from said feed conveyor station, and a delivery station downstream from said singulation station;

• said feed conveyor station including a feed conveyor belt having a horizontal upper run with a feed end and a downstream discharge end, a stack maintaining mechanism disposed over said horizontal run for maintaining items of mail on said horizontal run in a vertical side by side stack;
• said singulation station including initial hold means located juxtaposed partially across said discharge end for holding downstream-most item of mail, transfer means extending juxtaposed across a remainder of said discharge end and adjacent to said initial hold means for removing the downstream-most item of mail away from said initial hold means and conveying the downstream-most item of mail to said delivery station, said initial hold means including a first vacuum chamber having continuously exposed holes disposed toward said discharge end for drawing an item of mail in contact with said first vacuum chamber, said transfer means including a second vacuum chamber having a plurality of holes disposed toward said discharge end, a vertically mounted belt mounted for movement around said second vacuum chamber, said vertically mounted belt having a plurality of holes disposed for cyclical registration with said holes in said second vacuum chamber whereby an item of mail is drawn to said vertically mounted transport belt when said holes of said transport belt and said holes of said second vacuum chamber are aligned for removing an item of mail away from said initial hold means upon rotation of said transport belt, a vacuum applied by said second vacuum chamber comprising means for overcoming coefficient of friction between a downstream-most item of mail and its adjacent item of mail to separate the downstream-most item of mail from its adjacent item of mail, said transport belt being disposed inwardly of said first vacuum chamber where said transport belt is juxtaposed said first vacuum chamber, and said transport belt extending to at least a longitudinal center line of said horizontal run.

A feeder system for a mail sorter comprising a feed conveyor station for initially receiving a plurality of individual items of mail, a singulation station downstream from said feed conveyor station for removing items of mail one at a time from said feed conveyor station, and a delivery station downstream from said singulation station;

• said feed conveyor station including a feed conveyor belt having a horizontal upper run with a feed end and a downstream discharge end, a stack maintaining mechanism disposed over said horizontal run for maintaining the items of mail on said horizontal run in a vertical side by side stack;
• said singulation station including initial hold means located juxtaposed partially across said discharge end for holding a downstream-most item of mail, transfer means extending juxtaposed across a remainder of said discharge end and adjacent to said initial hold means for removing the downstream-most item of mail away from said initial hold means and conveying the downstream-most item of mail to said delivery station, said initial hold means including a first vacuum chamber having continuously exposed holes disposed toward said discharge end for drawing an item of mail in contact with said first vacuum chamber, said transfer means including a second vacuum chamber having a plurality of holes disposed toward said discharge end, a vertically mounted belt mounted for movement around said second vacuum chamber, said vertically mounted belt having a plurality of holes disposed for cyclical registration with said holes in said second vacuum chamber whereby an item of mail is drawn to said vertically mounted transport belt when said holes of said transport belt and said holes of said second vacuum chamber are aligned for removing the item of mail away from said initial hold means upon rotation of said transport belt, each of said vacuum chambers comprising an upper compartment and a lower compartment, and separate vacuum pumps for said upper and said lower compartments.

A feeder system for a mail sorter comprising a feed conveyor station for initially receiving a plurality of individual items of mail, a singulation station downstream from said feed conveyor station for removing items of mail one at a time from said feed conveyor station, and a delivery station downstream from said singulation station;

• said feed conveyor station including a feed conveyor belt having a horizontal upper run with a feed end and a downstream discharge end, a stack maintaining mechanism disposed over said horizontal run for maintaining the items of mail on said horizontal run in a vertical side by side stack;
• said singulation station including initial hold means located juxtaposed partially across said discharge end for holding a downstream-most item of mail, vertically disposed transfer means extending juxtaposed across a remainder of said discharge end and vertically side by side and adjacent to said initial hold means for removing the downstream-most item of mail away from said initial hold means and conveying the downstream-most item of mail to said delivery station, said stack maintaining mechanism including a paddle mounted across said horizontal run for contacting the items of mail and maintaining the items of mail upright, said paddle having a path of movement, a switch located at said downstream end for controlling the operation of said feed conveyor belt whereby said feed conveyor belt is halted in its movement when said switch senses an item of mail and continues its movement upon removal of the item of mail, said switch being located for sensing said paddle in said path of movement of said paddle, and said movement of said feed conveyor belt being halted when said paddle is sensed by said switch.

A feeder system for a mail sorter comprising a feed conveyor station for initially receiving a plurality of individual items of mail, a singulation station downstream from said feed conveyor station for removing items of mail one at a time from said feed conveyor station, and a delivery station downstream from said singulation station;

• said feed conveyor station including a feed conveyor belt having a horizontal upper run with a feed end and a downstream discharge end, a stack maintaining mechanism disposed over said horizontal run for maintaining the items of mail on said horizontal run in a vertical side by side stack;
• said singulation station including initial hold means located juxtaposed partially across said discharge end for holding a downstream-most item of mail, transfer means extending juxtaposed across a remainder of said discharge end and adjacent to said initial hold means for removing the downstream-most item of mail away from said initial hold means and conveying the downstream-most item of mail to said delivery station, said transfer means including a vertically mounted transport belt mounted for conveying the downstream-most item of mail away from said singulation station, a plurality of entrance flaps disposed at an entrance to said delivery station for preventing simultaneous transfer of plural items of mail, and said entrance flaps including an inner flap and an intermediate flap and an outer flap, said outer flap making greater surface contact with said transport belt than said intermediate flap, said intermediate flap making greater surface contact with said transport belt than said inner flap to contact an item of mail adjacent to the downstream-most item of mail to hold back the adjacent item of mail ,while the downstream-most item of mail is conveyed by said transport belt thereby preventing simultaneous transfer of plural items of mail.