Sorting system and method for flat items of mail
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorArmin Zimmermann
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sorting system for flat items of mail has N1≧2 parallel-connected groups of storage modules for simultaneously storing a multiplicity of items of mail. The items of mail are fed through N2≧1 parallel mail feeders to in each case a plurality of groups, and discharged via N3≧2 parallel mail dischargers from in each case a plurality of groups. A process controller controls a joint storing of items of mail from a stream of mail into storage modules belonging to at least one group and simultaneously controls discharging of jointly deposited items of mail from storage modules belonging to at least one other group. It is thus possible to intersperse the streams of mail with little or no intersecting, accompanied by a high throughput rate through the sorting system.
Claims14
A sorting system for flat items of mail, comprising:
- a number N1≧2 of parallel-connected groups of storage modules for simultaneously storing a multiplicity of items of mail;
- a number N2≧1 of parallel mail feeders each disposed to feed to a plurality of said groups of storage modules;
- and
- a number N3≧2 of parallel mail dischargers each disposed to discharge from a plurality of said groups of storage modules, a number of said storage modules in each group being equal to a number of said mail dischargers;
- a process controller configured to jointly store items of mail from a stream of mail in storage modules belonging to at least one group of storage modules and jointly discharge deposited items of mail from storage modules of at least one other group of storage modules simultaneous to the store items of mail from the stream of mail in storage modules belonging to the at least one group of storage modules.
A method of sorting flat items of mail, which comprises the following method steps:
- guiding the items of mail via N2≧1 parallel mail feeders to N1≧2 parallel-connected groups of storage modules for simultaneously storing or buffering a multiplicity of the items of mail;
- guiding the items of mail from the storage modules into N3≧2 parallel mail dischargers;
- providing a number of the storage modules in each group being equal to a number of mail dischargers;
- and
- jointly storing items of mail from a stream of mail in storage modules belonging to at least one group and discharging items of mail from storage modules of at least one other group simultaneously to the storing of item of mail in storage modules belonging to said at least one group.
A sorting system for flat items of mail, comprising:
- a number N1≧2 of parallel-connected groups of storage modules, each of said storage modules for simultaneously storing a multiplicity of items of mail, said storage modules being last-in-first-out modules;
- a number N2≧1 of parallel mail feeders each disposed to feed to a plurality of said groups of storage modules;
- and
- a number N3≧2 of parallel mail dischargers each disposed to discharge from a plurality of said groups of storage modules, a number of said storage modules in each group being equal to a number of said mail dischargers;
- a process controller configured to jointly store items of mail from a stream of mail in storage modules belonging to at least one group of storage modules and jointly discharge deposited items of mail from storage modules of at least one other group of storage modules simultaneous to the store items of mail from the stream of mail in storage modules belonging to the at least one group of storage modules.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.