Apparatus and methods for book handling

A book handling apparatus, comprising:

• a book receiver with a book receiver first side and a book receiver second side and defining a near vertically orientated slot therebetween, the slot adapted to receive a book in a near vertical orientation from the book receiver first side;
• a detector positioned about the slot to detect the identity of the book;
• a conveyor system operably connected to the slot about the book receiver second side to receive the book in the near vertical orientation thereupon and including one or more arms in contact with the book to convey the book thereabout in the near vertical orientation;
• a plurality of book collectors, the book collectors operably disposed about the conveyor system to receive the book in the near vertical orientation from the conveyor system;
• an information management system, the information management system in communication with the detector to determine the identity of the book and in communication with the conveyor system to direct the book to a book collector chosen by the information management system from the plurality of book collectors;
• wherein the near vertical orientation is defined by an angle between 0° and 45° in which 0° is a vertical position of a book and wherein the vertical position of the book is a position where a spine, first cover and second cover of the book are perpendicular to a horizontal surface in relation to a patron standing in proximity to the apparatus.

A method, comprising:

• receiving a book into a near vertically orientated slot from a patron, the slot causing the orienting of the book into a near vertical orientation when entered into the slot for returning the book into a library or book repository;
• detecting the identity of the book with a detector positioned about the slot;
• communicating the book in the near vertical orientation from the slot onto a conveyor system;
• conveying the book about the conveyor system in the near vertical orientation by contact with one or more arms;
• and
• delivering the book in the generally vertical orientation into a book collector by the conveyor system;
• wherein the near vertical orientation is defined by an angle between 0° and 45° in which 0° is a vertical position of a book and wherein the vertical position of the book is a position where a spine, first cover and second cover of the book are perpendicular to a horizontal surface in relation to a patron standing in proximity to the apparatus.