Material or article handling – Process – Of charging or discharging plural static structures for...
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-09
2001-02-06
Bratlie, Steven A. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Process
Of charging or discharging plural static structures for...
C414S415000, C414S280000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06183191
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to automated sorting and handling of flat articles, and particularly to automated feeding to and removal of flat articles from a sorting or other flat article processing machine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Machines for automatically sorting flat articles, such as mail, into one of an array of selected bins or compartments, are known. Typically, such sorting machines have a feeding station, including an intake drive member such as a rubber-covered wheel or belt, sensing and detecting equipment for determining the appropriate output compartment for the article to be sorted, diverting gates or other article directing mechanisms and an array of output compartments or bins for the sorted articles. An example of an advanced sorting machine is the DBSCII sorting device, available from Siemens ElectroCom, L.P., Arlington, Tex.
Conventionally, to feed articles into the sorting machine, an operator manually grabs a bundle of mail to be sorted and manually shakes or jostles the mail to generally align the bottom edges, making a stack, typically horizontal. The operator then places the stack of mail against the feed member of the sorting machine. The feed member then feeds the articles into the sorting machine, one at a time, to be sorted in the sorting machine.
At the output of the sorting machine, the sorted articles are routed to the appropriate receiving compartments or bins where the sorted articles are stacked. The feeding and sorting of articles continues until one or more of the receiving compartments become sufficiently full of a stack of sorted articles or mail. When the receiving compartment is full, an operator manually removes a stack of the sorted articles from the full compartment and places the stack of articles into a box. This removal of stacked articles may be termed “sweeping” of the compartment. The stack of sorted articles placed by the operator into a box may be further reprocessed through the same sorting machine, may be transferred to another sorting machine for additional sorting or may be transported to a delivery person, such as a mail carrier, or may be transmitted for ultimate delivery to the intended location, address or recipient when all desired sorting is completed.
Although automatic sorting machines have greatly speeded and improved prior processes for manual article sorting, manual attention is still required to feed the flat articles or the mail into the sorting machine and also to sweep and retrieve the sorted and stacked articles from the output of the sorting machine. The need for such manual feeding and sweeping is undesirable for ergonomic reasons, because of the bending and reaching required of humans to perform these tasks. Furthermore, the need for such manual handling of mail articles tends to limit the maximum benefits of automation that can be gained from the automatic sorting machines.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a flat article sorting cartridge designed to contain flat articles as mail and to interface with article or mail sorting machines for the purpose of automatic stacking of the flat articles or mail and containment of the articles or mail away from the sorting machines.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a mail cartridge which has structural features to facilitate manipulation by humans, as well as manipulation by a robotic cartridge handler.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a mail cartridge designed to allow quick insertion and extraction from an interface mechanism attached to a sorting machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a flat article cartridge having all movable parts activatable by an end-effector mounted on an X-Y transport robotic system. The moving parts and flat article cartridge mechanisms can also be manipulated by equipment operators, if necessary.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an assembly for a flat article cartridge with individual components arranged, attached and connected so that they cannot be loosened. The cartridge can contain from about zero to about 18 inches of stacked flat articles or mail.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a flat article cartridge which is constructed of a small number of parts.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a flat article cartridge constructed of a durable plastic material manipulatable by automatic conveyor tracks and also manipulatable by hand having a metallic drop gate which functions both to hold stacked articles in place and to provide additional rigidity. The plastic material is desirably selected to have reduced static electricity, reduced frictional characteristics and capabilities of performing in adverse and extreme ambient temperature and humidity conditions.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a mail stack supporter panel inside of the cartridge body designed to pre-bias flat articles while the cartridge is being filled and engaged along a locking bar spring-loaded against the articles as the cartridge is filled with stacked articles for mail.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a stacker interface mechanism for carrying flat article cartridges in a cradle arrangement so that they may be properly moved and seated for receiving mail from a sorter. The stacker interface advantageously houses a linear bearing and shuttle that act together to guide a stack support panel or plate into the cartridge when the cartridge and the interface are mated.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a 90° rotation turntable for automatically conveying stacked articles to an automatic feeder of the sorting machine and mail cartridges carried by a mail cartridge handler device. The cartridges are carried and moved in vertical and horizontal (X-Y) movement directions and are placed into and received from desired locations in one of a plurality of stacker modules for subsequent retrieval, reprocessing, or delivery of the stacked articles to the automatic feeder and sorter as desired. The turntable is also provided with a cartridge gate opening and closing mechanism to appropriately open the gates to receive stacked mail and to close the gates to contain the stacked mail. Preferably the turntable is also provided with an extraction mechanism that works in cooperation with a gate opener and closer. Preferably the turntable is further provided with an index mechanism for appropriately locating full or emptied cartridges to or from an active side and a passive side of the turntable as the stacked articles are transferred to the turntable and the sorting mechanism.
A further object is to provide an automatic feeder drawbridge which includes a plate to close a small gap between cartridges held in the turntable and the automatic feeder.
It is also an object of the invention to provide an end-effector carried in a mail cartridge handler or robot. The mail cartridge handler positions the end-effector in the vertical and horizontal (X-Y) planes of movement. The end-effector functions to pull or insert a cartridge from an automatic sorting machine, from a storage module, from a storage buffer cart, from an automatic feeder interface, or from a conveyor system, and automatically sweeps the flat articles or mail into and out of the cartridges.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method for sorting flat articles into two or more pockets, each pocket having a removable cartridge. The method comprises the steps of loading a sort plan and then, for each flat article, selecting one of the removable cartridges to receive the flat article. The flat article is then routed by a sorter to the selected removable cartridge. Whenever one of the removable cartridges become substantially full, an empty cartridge is located in a buffer having an array of cartridges, the empty cartridge is removed, the substantially full cartridge is removed from the pocket, and the empty cartridge is inserted into the pocket. The sub
Dunn Morgan H.
Isaacs Gerald A.
Mondie George R.
Bratlie Steven A.
Meyers Philip G.
Philip G. Meyers Intellectual Property Law, P.C.
Siemens ElectroCom L.P.
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