Mail sorting and sequencing system
AssigneeElsag SpA
InventorsGuido De Leo, Cristiano Franzone
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mail sorting and sequencing system having a number of DPP units cooperating with one another to sort and sequence mail items of three different types of mail. Each DPP unit having: a conveyor system wherein a number of trucks travel along a path; at least three truck feed units communicating with the conveyor system and receiving mail items of a respective type of mail; at least one accumulating device cooperating with the conveyor system to receive mail items released individually by the trucks; and a buffer unit for housing groups of mail items from the accumulating device.
Claims20
A mail sorting and sequencing system, comprising at least one DPP unit for forming groups of mail items and for sorting and sequencing mail items of the following types of mail:
- a first type of mail items;
- and
- a second type of mail items substantially more difficult to process than said first type of mail items;
- said at least one DPP unit comprising:
- a first conveyor system a number of trucks travelling along a path;
- at least one feed unit communicating with said first conveyor system, said feed unit receiving one of said first and second type of said mail items and loading one of said first and second type of said mail items into said trucks;
- and
- at least one accumulating device cooperating with said first conveyor system to receive one of said first and second type of said mail items released by said trucks;
- said accumulating device comprises a second conveyor system located beneath an unloading portion of said path of said first conveyor system;
- one of said trucks engages said unloading portion to run over said accumulating device;
- and
- said one truck has an unloading mechanism enabling release of one of said first and second type of said mail items from said one of said trucks and wherein each of said trucks defines a number of pockets each of which communicates externally of said truck through at least one loading opening and is bounded thereof by an unloading hatch movable between a closed position and an open position enabling said mail items to slide by force of gravity out of said pockets.
A mail sorting system comprising
- a first conveyor system comprising a number of trucks travelling along a path;
- at least one feed unit communicating with said first conveyor system, said feed unit receiving said mail items and loading said mail items into said trucks;
- and
- at least one accumulating device cooperating with said first conveyor system to receive said mail items released by said trucks;
- said accumulating device being located beneath an unloading portion of said path of said first conveyor system;
- one of said trucks engages said unloading portion to run over said accumulating device;
- and
- said one truck has an unloading mechanism enabling release of said mail items from said one of said trucks and enabling said mail items to fall by force of gravity into said accumulating device;
- wherein each of said trucks defines a number of pockets each of which communicates externally of said truck through at least one loading opening and is bounded thereof by an unloading hatch movable between a closed position and an open position enabling said mail items to slide by force of gravity out of said pockets.
A mail sorting and sequencing system, comprising at least one DPP unit for forming groups of mail items and for sorting and sequencing mail items;
- each DPP unit comprising:
- a conveyor system comprising a number of trucks travelling along a path;
- at least one feed unit communicating with said conveyor system, said feed unit receiving said mail items and loading said mail items into said trucks;
- at least one accumulating device cooperating with said conveyor system to receive said mail items released by said trucks;
- switches located along said path for allowing formed/forming trains to travel along said path, each train being characterized by a first parameter n representing the progressive location of a batch of mail items along a delivery route;
- and
- first control means activated by the arrival of two trains at the same switch, said first control means comparing said first parameters n of said two trains to activate said switch to let through said batch of mail items having the lower progressive location along said delivery route;
- wherein each of said trucks defines a number of pockets each of which communicates externally of said truck through at least one loading opening and is bounded thereof by an unloading hatch movable between a closed position and an open position enabling said mail items to slide by force of gravity out of said pockets.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.