Sheet accumulator with diverting mechanisms

A system for accumulating sheets as part of the operation of a mailing system and for conveying the sheets along a normal feed path, the system comprising:

• a) a sheet feeder for feeding sheets seriatim;
• b) a bar code reader, responsive to bar code indicia on the sheets, for providing a bar code scanned signal;
• c) a receiving bin for receiving and stacking the sheets in a bin receptacle;
• d) a registration and jogging module for stopping the sheets over the receiving bin so that they fall properly into the bin receptacle, and further for edge-aligning the sheets in the bin receptacle, and still further for ejecting sheets out of the receiving bin along the normal feed path;
• e) a mis-scan controller, responsive to the bar code scanned signal, for providing mis-scan diverter commands for sheets that have been mis-scanned, the mis-scan controller further providing stop-member commands for indicating that stop members of the receiving bin are to remain in a lowered position, the registration and jogging module being responsive to the stop-member commands;
• f) a mis-scan diverter, coupled to the receiving bin, responsive to the mis-scan diverter commands, for diverting those sheets that have been mis-scanned from the normal feed path to a first alternate path, the mis-scan diverter including a diverting chute assembly that rises up into the feed path so that a sheet enters the diverting chute assembly and is thereby provided to the first alternate path, the diverting chute assembly being raised and lowered under the command of the mis-scan controller;
• g) a selective controller, responsive to the bar code scanned signal, for providing selective diverter commands for diverting sheets selectively;
• and
• h) a selective diverter, coupled to the receiving bin, responsive to the selective diverter commands, for diverting selective document sets from the normal feed path to a second alternate path.