Delivery point sequencing mail sorting system with flat mail capability

An article sortation system for sorting articles to a delivery point sequence depth of sort, said article sortation system comprising:

• at least one article sorter having an induct and a discharge, said at least one article sorter sorting articles into a plurality of trays and discharging the trays of sorted articles at said discharge;
• a conveying system comprising at least one transport conveyor and a plurality of zone conveyors, said at least one transport conveyor and said plurality of zone conveyors being positioned at a height above said at least one article sorter, said at least one transport conveyor conveying trays from said discharge of said at least one article sorter to said induct of said at least one article sorter, said plurality of zone conveyors positioned along said at least one transport conveyor, wherein said at least one transport conveyor and said plurality of zone conveyors cooperate to arrange and accumulate trays in a sequenced manner on said at least one transport conveyor, said at least one transport conveyor discharging the sequenced trays to said induct of said at least one article sorter;
• and
• a tray elevating device between said discharge of said at least one article sorter and said transport conveyor and a tray lowering device between said transport conveyor and said induct of said at least one article sorter.

An article sortation system for sorting articles to a delivery point sequence depth of sort, said article sortation system comprising:

• at least one article sorter, said at least one article sorter having at least one induct and at least one discharge, said at least one article sorter being operable to sort articles into a plurality of trays and discharge the trays of sorted articles at said at least one discharge;
• and
• a conveying system interconnected between said at least one discharge and said at least one induct of said at least one article sorter, said conveying system comprising at least one transport conveyor extending substantially between said at least one discharge and said at least one induct and providing a substantially continuous conveying surface therealong, said at least one transport conveyor receiving trays from said discharge of said at least one article sorter and discharging arranged trays to said at least one induct of said at least one article sorter, said at least one transport conveyor having a plurality of transfer units arranged therealong and being selectively operable to transfer trays in a direction generally orthogonal to a direction of conveyance of said at least one transport conveyor, said conveying system comprising a plurality of staging zones arranged along said at least one transport conveyor, each of said transfer units being associated with at least one of said staging zones;
• said conveying system sorting and conveying trays containing articles sorted during a first sort of said at least one article sorter, said conveying system conveying trays containing sorted articles along said at least one transport conveyor and transferring trays from said at least one transport conveyor to said staging zones via said transfer units, said conveying system being operable to automatically arrange the trays in an arranged manner via selectively transferring trays from said staging zones to said at least one transport conveyor, said conveying system conveying the arranged trays to said at least one induct of said at least one article sorter for a second sort of the articles, wherein articles are unloaded from said arranged trays at said at least one induct of said at least one article sorter and inducted into said at least one article sorter for said second sort of the articles.

A method of sorting mail to a delivery point sequence depth of sort comprising:

• providing at least one article sorter adapted to perform at least two sort processes to articles supplied thereto;
• providing a conveyor system comprising a transport conveyor and a plurality of staging zones arranged along at least one side of said transport conveyor, said transport conveyor providing a substantially continuous conveying surface between at least one discharge of said at least one article sorter and at least one induct of said at least one article sorter, said transport conveyor including a plurality of transfer units arranged along said transport conveyor and corresponding to respective staging zones;
• supplying articles to said at least one induct of said at least one article sorter;
• performing a first sort pass of the articles and sorting articles into a plurality of trays;
• discharging trays containing sorted articles at at least one discharge of said at least one article sorter onto said transport conveyor;
• conveying the trays containing sorted articles sorted by the first sort pass to arrange the trays in an arranged manner, wherein conveying the trays to arrange the trays comprising;
• conveying trays along said transport conveyor;
• transferring trays from said transport conveyor to said plurality of staging zones via respective transfer units;
• and
• transferring trays from said plurality of staging zones onto said transport conveyor so as to automatically arrange the trays on said transport conveyor in a sequenced manner;
• said transport conveyor and said plurality of staging zones cooperating to automatically convey and arrange the trays between said discharge of said at least one article sorter and said induct of said at least one article sorter;
• conveying the arranged trays along said transport conveyor to said induct of said at least one sorter;
• removing articles from the arranged trays and inducting the removed articles to said induct of said at least one sorter;
• and
• performing a second sort pass of the articles to sort the articles to a delivery point sequence depth of sort.