A document singulator is described for use in separating into single items mail pieces derived from a source of collection mail. The device comprises a plurality of spaced-apart singulation stations each having a friction roller and adapted to be actuated in a predetermined manner to effect the separation of documents lying on top of one another. The rollers are mounted in an inclined slide which has a compound slope and a single registration wall, thereby assuring mail flow down the length of the slide as well as proper registration of the mail pieces at each station. The device is capable of processing a variety of mail pieces including flats such as magazines, folded newspapers, etc., and is virtually free from hard, mail-damaging jams.
Methods of a human operator processing first and second interrelated documents in pairs relative to a processing station provide a first document entry station for receiving a first document from the human operator, and a second document entry station for receiving a second document from the human operator. The human operator separates the interrelated first and second documents from each other and deposits the first document in the first document entry station while depositing the second document in the second document entry station. The deposited first document is transported from the first document entry station relative to the processing station, and the second document is transferred from the second to the first document entry station, for subsequent transport from such first station relative to the processing station.
A sheet orthogonal-conveying method and apparatus in which the front edge of a sheet sliding under its own weight is delivered into the nip formed between a pair of rollers orthogonal to the direction of advancement of the sheet. The sheet is first guided so that its front edge slides into contact with the side edge of one of the rollers, preferably the upper one of the rollers, at a position away from the nip. After the sheet has reached a stationary position stopped by the roller, the position of the guide has changed so that the sheet may slide into the nip and be clamped and conveyed by the rollers. Preferably, the sheet is vibrated during this operation. An elastic guide piece may be utilized to urge the sheet toward a reference surface of the guide member.
A letters/flats transporting, handling, and sorting system is disclosed for handling an initially random mixed input of letters and flats and for sorting the letters and flats into a delivery address sequence for delivery by postal service personnel as a result of only a single pass of the letters and flats through the system. Sequencing modules include loading trays and storage trays. The storage trays represent individual delivery address destinations and are arranged in delivery address sequence. Incoming letter and flat mail is deposited within the loading trays and the loading trays are individually actuated so as to transfer the letter and flat mail pieces into the proper delivery address storage trays whereupon the completion of the processing of an entire batch of incoming mail, all mail will be sorted in delivery address sequence within the storage trays which may then be emptied for ultimate delivery in their address sequence by the postal service personnel.
An apparatus (10) for producing a singulated flow of correctly oriented flats (100 or 160) includes an input conveyor (12), a plurality of singulating conveyors (14, 16, and 18), and a skew correction station (20). A stack of flats (100 or 160) is deposited onto an inclined surface (42) of the input conveyor (12). The input conveyor (12) produced a running shingle of flats by frictionally engaging and pulling the bottom most flat in the stack. The plurality of singulating conveyors (14, 16, and 18) convert the running shingle into a singulated flow using frictional, inertial, and gravitational forces. By advancing conveyor (16) while halting conveyor (14), a flat (102) is pulled from underneath flat (108) with flat (108) remaining stationary. By operating conveyor (16) in a pulsed acceleration mode, passenger flat (122) is separated from underlying flat (120). By angling the conveyors (14, 16, and 18) in an upward direction, rearward gravitational force passenger flats (134 and 136) down conveyor (14). Halting the conveyors (202, 204, 206, 208, and 210) of the skew orientation station (20) can achieve forward gravitational separation of passenger flat (150). The skewed orientation of mail piece (200) is adjusted by selectively lifting the belts (202 and 206) and driving the belts (202 and 206) in opposite directions.
A method and apparatus for separating, feeding and sorting stacked products utilizes a computer controlled conveyor transport path. The transport path comprises infeed, separating and output sections. The infeed section includes an infeed conveyor and feed roller to regulate downstream movement into the separating section. The separating section includes a plurality of individually and selectively controlled friction feeder rolls arranged on a laterally tilted incline plane. The method and apparatus includes sensors along the separating section for determining position and relative movement of products. Through computer control, individual feeder rolls or sets of feeder rolls on the inclined plane are selectively energized to separate underlying products from stacked overlying or overlapping products. The foregoing process is repeated until all products in a stack have been separated into individual units. After separation the individual products are discharged through the output section for further processing.
