Classifying – separating – and assorting solids – Sorting special items – and certain methods and apparatus for... – Separating means
Patent
1997-11-11
1999-09-28
Bollinger, David H.
Classifying, separating, and assorting solids
Sorting special items, and certain methods and apparatus for...
Separating means
209703, 209705, 209942, B07C 500
Patent
active
059573074
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coding station for a mail sorting system, having a first conveying section, in particular a conveying belt, conveying letter stacks to a working area within the view and reach of a seated operator. The operator inputs codings with his or her right hand via a coding unit and can feed the letters individually, in the conveying direction, to a further conveying section.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A coding station is shown, for example, in the brochure "Universal Sortier System fur Lang- und Gro.beta.briefe" (Universal Sorting System for Long and Large Letters) order No. AEC/M33.7.148/0694 DE, by the company AEG. The items which are to be sorted, i.e. the long and large letters, are fed in stacks, from the right, to an operator who performs the manual coding with his or her right hand and uses his or her left hand to convey further the letters which are to be separated. The letter stacks are transported via a horizontally running conveying section. This results in the operator having to view the letters which are to be obliquely, in each case. Furthermore, the angle through which the letters which are to be separated have to be pivoted in order to be fed in to the further feeding section of the system is relatively large.
Lectern-like conveying sections in distributing machines for flat articles, in particular mail, are shown in the publication TOP "Verteilmaschine fur flache Sendungen" by the company CEGELEC CGA. In this known distributing machine, however, the respective feeding directions are quite different from those in the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to design a coding station so that handling which is extremely favorable in terms of ergonomics is made possible.
This object is achieved according to the present invention in that the first conveying section is arranged in a lectern-like manner, such that the top side of the letter stack which is to be separated in each case is aligned approximately perpendicularly with respect to the viewing direction of the operator.
A first advantageous feature of the present invention is that the edge of a level table in front of the operator is aligned obliquely with respect to the conveying direction for the letter stacks. The left hand of the operator, which can rest on the table by way of the left forearm, can be placed in a relaxed position relatively close to the left of the letter stack which is to be separated. The right hand of the operater, which can rest by way of the right forearm or at least the ball of the thumb of the right hand, can be placed in a relaxed position in the vicinity of a coding keyboard on the table in front of the first conveying section. The slight oblique positioning of the operator in front of the conveying section thus ensures that the movements of each hand are equally close to the body. The operating comfort is increased further by the edge being provided with padding.
A further advantageous feature of the present invention is that a display for acknowledgement messages is arranged within the view of the operator. This display, which is preferably positioned above the stacks, can give an optical display of communications regarding the information which has been input or acknowledgement messages regarding system states.
A contactless sensor can be used to sense the completion of the operation for separating the letter stack which is to be separated in each case. Thereafter the next letter stack which is to be separated can be conveyed up by the first conveying section, which conveying operation can be automated. The operator is saved the task of performing any actuating operations. The sensors used may be contactless proximity switches.
Since the coding station is arranged on a platform, having a height corresponding approximately to the difference in height between a seated individual and a standing individual, straightforward manual charging of the first conveying section with lette
REFERENCES:
patent: 1869150 (1932-07-01), Jackson
patent: 2564185 (1951-08-01), Bailey
patent: 3952874 (1976-04-01), Owen
patent: 4891088 (1990-01-01), Svyatsky
Evans et al., "An Easy-View Letter-Coding Desk," 8076 Post Office Electrical Engineers' Journal, vol. 71, No. 2 (Jul. 1978), 6 pages.
AEG, Universal Sortier System fur Lang- und Grossbriefe, no date, 3 pages.
Bollinger David H.
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
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