CA2128632A1 - Slot sorting arrangement - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT

SLOT SORTING ARRANGEMENT
A slot sorting arrangement for use in sorting postal items comprises an array of open fronted boxy units 9, 99 which are mounted in cantilevered manner.
Each box unit 9, 99 includes at least one L-shaped dividing member 10 which can divide the unit vertically at any one of a plurality of positions along its length. A sorting bay is constructed from such a slot sorting arrangement which is mounted to a wall or frame 11. Additionally, a further sorting bay is also formed when the above bay is constructed with a supplementary slot sorting arrangement mounted to a supplementary frame 111 set at an angle to the wall of frame 11.

Description

SLOT SORTINÇ ARR~NGE~ENT
The present invention r~lates eo a pigeon hole arrangement for use ln sorting and more partlcularly to a pigeon hole arrangement for use ~n slot sortlng ~or S example ln t~e post~l $ndus~ry for the temporary storage of letters and/or packages undergolng ~orting.
Sortlng frames conventionally u~ed ln letter sortlng comprlsQ a rectangular array o open fronted boxes wlth each box being labelled In some way to sho~
the lntended dese~natlon of t~e l~tters or ot~er po~tal ltems sorted tO that box. On the assumption that each destlnatlon bo~ is to recel~e a simllar number of ~tems, the construction of t~e array ls relatively slmple and stralghtforward in that each box ls ldentical. Ho~ever, it i~ usually t~e case that the number of ltems per box is not slm~lar and, accor~lngly, a number of methods has been adopted to 8110~ for 8UC~ variatlon~. For example, w~ere an abnormally large number of $tem~ 1~ to be routed to one destlnatlon, the destlnation ls allotted two or more boxes, and for abnormally small number~ of items, two or more de~tinations are allotted a single box uhlch may then require further sorting to separate each de~tlnatlon. Alternatively, for a small number of ltQms, vertical divlder-~ may be introduced ~nto particular boxes suc~ that each destinatlon box has space generally for a maximum of t~o destlnation~, thus allowlng ltems being sorted to be placed in the array ln an approprlate box $n a delivery sequence wit~out the need for furt~er 60rting.
It has been found that the above-mentloned array of boxes i9 not alway~ e~gonomlcally the most efficient for the average or shorter than average helght per~on as certaln boxes are dlfflcult to reach, especially from a restricted ~tandlng or slttlng positlon.
~ccord~ngly, lmpro~ements to ~uc~ known arrayY have ~ . .

212~632 been made ~here~y t~e outermost columns of ~oxes are set at an angl~ to columns of boxes fac~ng t~e person performing the sorting functlon ln order tO ssslst sortlng. Indeed, columns of boxe-~ in~ermedlate the S outermost column~ and t~e column8 t mmed$ately faclng the sorter may have ~helr dlvldlng walls set at decrea~n~ angles to enable t~e person sortlng to ha~e easier access to ~n lncreased number of boxes. The sorter 18 th~ positloned faclng a bay ~lth columns of boxe~ located ln an approx$mate curve.
It ha~ also been found that, eYen vith t~e a~ove improvements, the l~bels for each box are often dlfflcult tO see o~lng to reflectlve glare and ~mllarly the peripheral boxe~ of the array are often difficult to dist~ngulsh from ad~acent boxes o~ing to dlstractions, caused by actlvltles beyond the ends of the array or the glare of llghts.
Ths kno~n sort$ng frame arrangements are, ho~ever, lnvariably flxed ln conflguration, thereby stlll rsstrlcting the potentlal flexibillty of known methods of sortlng and/or storlng items for the aforesaid reasons. In particular, ln some sortlng arrangements there ts lnvariably a large number of redundant dlvidlng walls defining too many boxe~ ~hen only a few de~tinatlong are to be sorted and, like~ise, a number of individuAl boxes containing no items at all.
To be distinguish~d from such box-based sortlng frame~ are slot ~ortlng frames which contaln a r~latively larqe number of plgeon holes the spacss between whlch may be variable ln w~dth. An example of such a frame ls dlsclosed in GB-A-1355467. Such frames enable ~tems of mail to be ~tood on edge thereby simpllfying the introduction of ltem-~ of ~all and eaY~ng their remov~l. In this dwument, the bottoms of the pigeon holes are formed by ~ number of fixed gulde rods and ad~acent partltions are connected to one 212~632 another by c~alns, t~read~ or like flexlble means.
These may ~e for exa~ple ball-ch~ln~ pressed through sllts lnto apertures udiacent the edge of t~e partltlon~. This ls nevert~eless a relatlvely S cumbersome arrangement sub~ect to breakage of the flexlble meanq and fallure of a ~hole ro~ o pigeon ~oles.
Accordlng to the present lnventlon, there iB
provlded a slot sortlng arrangement comprlsing a plurallty of open fronted box unlts, for mounting ln cantllevered manner in slde by slde arrangement in a ro~, t~e box units each ~ncluding at lease one div$d~ ng member for removable mount~ng therein to dlvide vertlcally the lnterlor of t~e box unit at one of a plurality of po~itlons along the length thereof, the box units eac~ ~aving a back ~all sectlon wlth a plurality of di~iding member receiving statlons therein and a base sectlon ha~lns a plurallty of divlding member rec~lving sectlons, the recel~lng sectlons of the back wall section and the base section being ln allgnment wlth one another, the box unlts having side walls whereby a side wall and an adjacent dlvlding member or a palr of ad~acent dlviding members between them define slots for recelpt of items to be supported on the base of t~e respectlve box unlt.
Preferably the rows of box unlts are mounted on a frame such that ~lot sortlng arrangements may be arranged in 8 back ~o back arrangement ~ith inadvertent tr~nsfer of ltem~ to be sorted throu~h from one slot ~orting arrangement to that behind lt being prevented by the ~ack walls of the box unlts. ~t ~s lndeed also possible for the box unlts to be attached to a wall by fixing means, for example a screw fltting.
Preferably a plurallty of rows of box unit ls mounted on a frame ln a vertlcal array. The individual box units may themselves be assembled at the polnt of use from ~ klt of parts provided a~ a flat pack, each klt member belng ~ormed of ln~ect~on mo~lded plastlcs materi~l, preferably polypropylene, t~e klt members enterlng into force fitting engagement.
Sf desired, the indivldual boxe~ ~nay be connected together but gener~lly ~ 18 not necessary.
Accord~ng to a second asp~ct of the lnvention, t~ore 1~ provlded a ~ort~ng bay lncludlng a plurallty of slot sortlng arrangements accord~ng tO the first aspect of the lnventlon ln which the ~lot sortlng arrangemen~s are arranged ln rows one sbove another to con~tltute a maln sortlng srrangement, and at least one supp~ementary slot sortlng arrangement comprising a plurallty of rows of at least one sald box unlt, each with at least one ~ald divlding member, said at least one supplementary slot sortlng arrangement being Qet to the ~ald main sorelng arrangement at one end thereof such that the box unlt~ of the maln sort~ng arrangemen~
are at an angle to the box units of the supplementasy slot sorting arrange~ent, rous of the supplementary slot sortlng arrangement being in line wlth rows of the maln sorting arrangement.
A box unit of the supplementary slot sortlng arrangement may, llks the box units of the maln sorting arrangement, be mounted on a frame, with adJacent fr~mes belng connected to one another. W~en t~e maln sorting arrang~ment ls wall mounted, then the supplementary slot ~orting arrangement ~nclude~ a frame which i8 attached to the wall.
A second supplementary stot sortlng arrangement may be ~ttached directly or through interposltion of another type of slot sorting arrangement d~rectly to a flrst supplementary slot sortlng arrangem~nt ln one of a wide varlety of cortlng bay deslgns embodying this 3S invention which may be conceived. Suc~ a ~econd supplementary slot sortlng arrangement wlll partlclpate ~.
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212863~

s in forming ~ curved array of 80rtlng boxes~
It i8 proposed ln accordance ~th t~ls ~nventlon that t~e box unlts of supplementary slot sor~n~
arrangements wlll be e~e same as the box unlts of the S m~ln slot sort~ng arrangemene ~en box unlts are set ae an angle, flat bridg~ng members may be lnterposed in such angle to provid~ restlng areas for ltem~ whose dQselnatlon is uncert~ln. These brldying members may enter lnto enga~ement with t~e box unlts through approprlate press f t ts. Alt~oug~ box unlts of all slot sorting arrangements embodying the lnventlon will ~e subdi~ldable, lt ls concelvable that at least one row of box arrang~ments, typlcally the top one, wlll not be provided wtth dlvlder~ and wlll be available for temporsry location of ltems having a shape such that they cannot ~e lntroduced ~nto the slots defined wlthln the box unlts.
The bc~ unlt~ themsel~es are, as aforesaid, subdivided ~y slots. By use of a sufficiently large number of divlder~, it 18 posslble even to provlde pigeon holes for mall for single destlnatlons, ln part~cular, domestlc destlnations. Dlviders may be colour coded, for example, to enable a dellvery postman arranglng hlQ round to ldentlfy where brea~s ln ~s round occur to asYlst ln bundling of ~orted mail ln a manner appropriate to the nature of the round.
Reference wlll now be made, by way of example, to the ~ccompanying drawlng8, in which:-Flgure 1 ls an exploded front perspective vie~ of 3~ box unit of a slot sorting arrangement embodying thepresent in~ention ln lts first aspect;
Flgures 2A and 2B are partial front perspective view~ of 810t sortin~ arrangem~nts of so~ting bays embodying the present lnventlon ln both lts flrst and second aspects, mounted respectlvely to a wall and frame and to two ad~acent frames, . .: . , .
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2l2~632 Figure 3 18 ~ front perspectlve ~ew of a furtner sortlng bay emDodying the lnv~ntlon ~n ies second aspect; and Flgures ~A, 4B and ~C are sc~ematlc plan vlews of S ~ortlng bays embodylng varl~tlons o~ both t~e first and second aspects of th~ present lnventlon.
Figure 1 8~0W8 ~ bo~ unit 9 of ~ slot sortlng arrangement with one representatlve mo~able dlvlder 10 for u~e Ylthln tne box unlt. The box unlt 9 i~ ~nown in an exploded vlew and comprlses a label holder 18, a base 19, slde walls 29 and a back ~all ~9. The label hold~r 18 preferably lncludes an anti-reflectl~e coating 17 or i8 t$1table. The box unlt 9 $s preferably provided a~ a klt of parts a~ shown, each part belng manufactured from in~ect~on moulded polypropylene, ~hich 1~ s~embled by means of conventlonal ~oining means, such as nuts and bolts, 6nap-flt connection~ or other lnterference or force fitting connections. Adhes1ve may be used for permanent ~oin~ if deslred. ~ith such a kit, the box unit 9 may be ea~ly packaged for transport and assembled as required at po~nt of use. As an ~lternative to providlng separate members for t~e b~se, ~ide walls and back wall of the box unit 9 for snap-flt connectlon, for example, lt may be deslrable to provlde an already assembled box unit 9. Thi~ unit may be in the form of metal ~heeting bent into the approprlate shape, for example, or an ln~ection moulded pla6tics material suitably moulded to give an eq~ivalent structure.
The box unit 9 ls generally in t~e fonm of an open fronted deep rectangular tray, ~ith a front openlng 30 and ~th lts ~ide w~lls 29 havlng thelr top edge 810ping from its back wall 39 to its front 30 The box unit 9 i8 capable of side by slde arrangement w$th further box un$ts ln a ro~, the o~tslde of t~e ~lde ' 2128~3~

walls 29 ~eing preferably flat to ~llo~ for easy replacement, lf requ~red, of lneermadiate units 9 when so arranged. ~e un~ts are adapted for cantllevered mountlng, for example to a wall or to ~ frame, wlt~ t~e S back of t~c un~t 9 preferably lnclud$n~ pro~lslon for conventlonal attach~ent mesns. This preferably comprl~e8 holes 38 ~n tho back ~11 39 to recsive ~ooks, bo~ts or ~lmllsr 138 whlch are mounted ln a support$ng wsll or an uprlght frame member.
Alternatlvely, the back wall may lnclude shaped pro~ect$on-~, for example hooks (not sho~n), to engage supporting means on a wall or fr~me. ~le cantllevered mountlng of the bax units allo~s vertical arrays to be constructed. Such an array may comprl~e one or more lS boxes horlzontally and several vertlcally.
To po~ition one or more dl~lders 10 ln the box unit 9, a comblnatlon of grooves and slots is provlded ln the box unlt, wlth the dlvlders matlng there~ith to provlde a secure yet variable positionlng of the d$v~dars bet~een the slde walls 29 of t~e unlt 9.
Preferably, ~lot~ 24 aro moulded into the ba~e 19 of the unlt 9, near the open front 30 and extendlng parallel to the 6ide ~alls 29 a small dlstance towards the back ~all ~9. The num~er, spacing and uldth of 6uch slots vary accordlng to the s~ape of the ~ivlder6 and accordlng to the m~nimum spaclng requlred between t~e dlvlder6 10. The bac~ inside wall of the unit 9 preferably also includes corre~pondlng ~lot~ 26 extendlng within moulded groove~ 25 whose number, spacing and ~idth corre~pond to ~hose of the slots 24 ln the front of the unlt 9. ~he slot~ 26 and grooves ~5 ex~end ~ertlcally from the top of the back wall 39 to the base 19 of the unlt 9. It may be preferable to pro~lde urther or s~milar grooves and 610t~ (not sho~n), for example, addltlonal groo~es extendlng between the slots 24 and the grooves 25, ~o lessenlng .. . .

2l28632 t~e llkellhoo~ of lnsertlng dlviders ~n a twlsted or~eneat~on~
T~e d~vlders 10 (only one s~ovn ln Flg~r2 1) each comprlse substantl~lly planar mouldlngs, preferably manufactured from pre~ed steel or in~ectlon moulded polypropylene, ln the shape of ~n ~. Such n divlder 10 has ~ front base pro~ecelon 31 ertendlng fro~ a front base portlon 101, a blank back wall base portlon 102 and a back wall proJ~ctlon 33 extendlng from a back wall portlon 103 whlch are adapted to f$t into the -~lot~ 2~, 26 in tne box unlt 9. These pro~ectlons 31, 33 may be s~ort ln comparlson ~ith the depth or ~eight or the box as ~hown or, lf preferred, may be co~p~ratively long or provlded as two or more short pro~ectlons. The pro~ection~ may include a barbed connectlon 32 as shovn for the pro~ectlon 31. If such a connectlon 32 is employed ln the dividers 10, lt may be desirable to provide a horlzontal or inclined traverse slot 34 form the front edge of the divlders 10 extendlng o~er the pro~ection 31 towards the back wa}l to allow the barbed connectlon to be manlpulated. ~o esse manlpulation of the dividers 10 into and out of engagement with the box unlts 9, the top back wall edge of the dlvlders ls lncllned forwards as sho~n. Thls enableQ th~ front base p~o~ect~on 31 to engage the slot 2~ after the bac~ wall pro~ection 33 is tllted backwards $nto engagement with the slot 26.
To enable users of the apparatus to di~tinguish between ad~acent divided re~ions in a unit, the d~idcrs 10 must be clearly vlsl~le. It may be deslrable ln thls respect to colour the d$vlderq differently and/or to extend the front edges of the d$viders to ~lightly over the front edge 30 of the unlt 9 so they are less l~kely to be lost from view among~t the postsl products lylng therebetween. In addition, the L-~haped dlvlders are proflled ~ith deep front ba~e 21~632 ~nd back wall por~on~ 101, 103 ~nd ~ s~allo~ back ~all base portlon 102 to permlt easy ~ortlng ond remo~al of lt~ms by nand~ e~en ~ere the dlvlders are relaelvely close together.
S Fl~ure 2A show-q, in ~ partlal per~pective vle~, slot sorting arrsngement of a sortlng bay mounted to ~all 1, ~lth an adlocent supple~entasy frame 111 ~upportln~ a supplement~ry slot ~ortlng arrangement 99 to produce one levQl of a bay e~body~ng the pre~ent lnvene$on ln lts second aspect.
F$gu~e 2B ~hows a slot sortinq arrangement (part$ally ~ect~oned to s~ow other~fse hidden detall) simllar to that of Flgure 2A but utlll~ln~ frame 11 lnstead of the wall 1 a~ back support, as ~ell a~ frame 11 at an angle thereto, In eac~ case, the frame~ 11, 111 are con~tructed from a rlgld materisl suc~ as ste~l or alumlnlum, u~ually rectangular and hollow in Qectlon, and which lnclu~es parallel uprlght members 2 and respectlve Qupporting feet me~bers 4 and 5. The uprlght and ~upportin~ feet me~bers are ~olned in any conven~ent manner, for example, by a welded ~olnt and the supporting feet are provided with level ad~ust~ng mean~ 5. The uprlght members 2 are spaced horlzontally from one another by the approximate wld~h of or a multlple of the box unit~ 9 (by the approxlmats width of the box un$t~ 99) e~ployed therewlth and lolned to each other approxl~ately at walst ~evel, for example, and at the top of t~e members 2 by horlzontal members 6, 8, re~pectively. The box un~t~ preferably all mount to these uprig~t ~embers 2, although the horizonal member~ 6, 8 may be used ln~teAd for all or for some intermedlate box un~ts 9, 9g. ln Figure 2A, the adJacent ~upplementary frame 111 is preferably al-~o mounted to the wall 1 by appropriate bracket means 112 as shown to support the frame 111 in ad~itlon to the supportlng feet members 4, S. In Figure 2B, the two 21 2~3~

fr~mes 11, 111 are rlgldly connected to one anot~er by a bracket member 113 A8 s~o~n to ~eep t~e frames 11, 111 from movlng apart or, lf t~e feet are in~u~flclent to support each frame lndependently~ eo ensure ths two S frames 11, 111 form a self-~upportlng 6tructure. It le readlly apparent thAt th~ angle a bst~een the frames 11, 111 determ$nes the shaps and configurat$on of th~
~racket members 112, 113. The brackets shovn at 112, 113 ~re slmply stralght ~embers vlth angled end portions. The upright member~ may be adapted to recel~e ~uc~ bracket members 112, 113 at any angle and may e~en provlde hlnge mean~ for ad~u~table angles. Depend~ng on the deslred angle a, lt may be advantageous to provlde further sortlng space bet~een each box member lS by provldlng a triangular ba~e 20 a~ shown to flt between the box unit~ 9, 99 at the end of each ad~acent row in the corner of the frame. Add$t$onally, a back wall 40 as ~ho~n may be pro~lded. Convenlently, the back wall 40 and the ba~e 20 may form part of or 2Q supplement the actlon of the bracXet me~bers 112, 113 for addea rlgldlty between the frame~ 11, 111 or between the ~all 1 and the frame 111, with attachment mean~ being pro~$ded where necessary.
Flgure 3 $-q ~ front perspect$ve v~e~ of a further sortlng bay wh$ch comprise~ a ma$n sortlng arrangement of box unlts 9 and two success$ve supplementary ~ortlng arrangement of array~ of box unlts 99 mounted to frame~
11, 111 of Figure 2A or 2B. E~ch ~rrangement i8 mounted at a differing angle to an adlacent arrangement and lncludes resp~ctlve contiguous horlzontal worklng surfaces 66 at waist level. The top box unlt~ 9, 99 of each arrangement do not lnclude any divlder~ 10, ~llst the four lower levels of box unlts 9, 99 are provlded wlth dlvlder~ lC as de~lred. ~he working surfaces 66 are pro~ided ~lth t~elr own uprlg~t members 26 and feet members 46, 56 as requlred ~lch may be secured elt~er .

to t~e frame members 2 of t~e frames 11, 111 a~ shown or to the wall 1. Convenlently, e~e slight gap between the worklng surfaces 66 and ths lmmed~ately thereabove flrst box unlts 9, 99 ~ blocked by an approprlately sized seallng llp member 96 to en~ure po~tal ltem8 are not lnadvQrtently lost therebetwe~n.
~ conta~nment devlc~ 7 ln the for~ of a shallo~
box, for ~xample, 18 recessed ln any one of the worklng ~urfaces 66, wlth a flush mounted lld therefor. The cholca of locatlon ~ 8 of course, arb~trary. Such a containment devlce 7 may be conflgured to hold statlonQry or stray postal items. In addit~on, a secure locker 77 ls provlded attached to the frame, belng posltioned underneath the worklng surface 66.
If a sortlng bay ~s not located agalnst a wall or a blank surface, lt may be advantageous to sscur~
screenQ 100 to lts rear to overcome problem-~ of v$ewward glare or d~stractlon. The screens may ~e any shape or colour which are not distracting to the user of the sorting bay.
Flgure 4A s~ow~ an array of box unlt~ 9 form}ng a sortlng srrsngement mounted to maln frame 11, with supplementary arrays of ~ox units 99 forming s~pplementary ~ort~ng arrangements mounted to ~5 supplementary frames 111 st each end thereoi. This r~sults in a double winged sorting bay.
Figure 4B ~hows a modlfied arrangement of Flgure 4~ in whlch an array of box unlts 9 is mounted on each slde of the main frame 11 ln back to back relation and ~upplementary arrays of box unlts 99 are mounted to t~o palrs of supplementary frames 111 provlded at the respectlve ends of each maln frame. ln sddltlon, a supplementary array of box unlts 99 ls provided in back to back relation on one supplementary frame 111 ~ith an 3S array of box unlt8 99. Thls forms two double wlnged sortlng bays facing one another and a small separate 2l2~632 bay.
Flgurs 4C shows an olternatlv~ arrangement ln whlc~ an array of bo~ un~ts 9 18 ~ounted to a maln frame 11 and supplementary arrays of box unlts g9 are S mounted eo one palr of supplementa~y fra~e~ 111 p~ovlded at one end thereof. A further array of box unlts 99 1~ mounted ln back to back relatlon ~lth ehe supplementary arrays of box unlts 99 on t~ese supplementary frame~ 111. Thls arrangement provldes threQ separate sortlng bay~.
A~ ~hown ln F~gures 4A, 4~ and 4C, horizontal ~or~lng ~urfaces 66 are provlded only at selected locatlons, rat~er than for eac~ ~eparate sortlng bay.
Al~o, ~t ls apparent that sort~ng bays may be made up from one or more arrays of box unlts 9, 99.

Claims (12)

1. A slot sorting arrangement comprising a plurality of open fronted box units, for mounting in cantilevered manner in side by side arrangement in a row, the box units each including at least one dividing member for removable mounting therein to divide vertically the interior of the box unit at one of a plurality of positions along the length thereof, the box units each having a back wall section with a plurality of dividing member receiving stations therein and a base section having a plurality of dividing member receiving sections, the receiving sections of the back wall section and the base section being in alignment with one another, the box units having side walls whereby a side wall and an adjacent dividing member or a pair of adjacent dividing members between them define slots for receipt of items to be supported on the base of the respective box unit.

2. A slot sorting arrangement as claimed in claim 1, which is one of a plurality of like slot sorting arrangements mounted in a vertical array.

3. A slot sorting arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the box units are mounted to a frame.

4. A slot sorting arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the box units are mounted to a wall.

5. A slot sorting arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the box units are provided as a kit of substantially flat parts.

6. A slot sorting arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the box units are modular rectilinear units, with front-sloping side walls, and the dividing members are planar L-shaped members whose two outer edges are received respectively by the base section and by the back wall.

7. A slot sorting arrangement as claimed in claim 6, wherein the dividing member has a vertical rear edge which inclines forward in an upper region thereof.

8. A sorting bay including:
- a plurality of slot sorting arrangements, each comprising a plurality of open fronted box units, mounted in cantilevered manner in side by side arrangement in a row, the box units each including at least one dividing member for removable mounting therein to divide vertically the interior of the box unit at one of a plurality of positions along the length thereof, the box units each having a back wall section with a plurality of dividing member receiving stations therein and a base section having a plurality of dividing member receiving sections, the receiving sections of the back wall section and the base section being in alignment with one another, the box units having side walls whereby a side wall and an adjacent dividing member or a pair of adjacent dividing members between them define slots for receipt of items to be supported on the base of the respective box unit, with the slot sorting arrangements being arranged in rows one above another to constitute a main sorting arrangement, and - at least one supplementary slot sorting arrangement, comprising a plurality of rows of at least one said box unit, each with at least one said dividing member, said at least one supplementary slot sorting arrangement being set to the said main sorting arrangement at one end thereof such that the box units of the main sorting arrangement are at an angle to the box units of the supplementary slot sorting arrangement, rows of the supplementary slot sorting arrangement being in line with rows of the main sorting arrangement.

9. A sorting bay as claimed in claim 8, wherein the box units are modular rectilinear units, with front-sloping side walls, and the dividing members are planar L-shaped members whose two outer edges are received respectively by the base section and by the back wall.

10. A sorting bay as claimed in claim 8, wherein the or each supplementary slot sorting arrangement is mounted to a frame.

11. A sorting bay as claimed in claim 8, comprising slot sorting arrangements and supplementary slot sorting arrangements of respective sorting bays arranged in a back to back arrangement, with back wall sections of opposed box units being of sufficient height to prevent inadvertent transfer of items to be sorted through from one slot sorting arrangement to that behind it.

12. A sorting bay as claimed in claim 8, comprising supplementary slot sorting arrangements of respective sorting bays arranged in a back to back arrangement, with back wall sections of opposed box units being of sufficient height to prevent inadvertent transfer of items to sorted through from one slot sorting arrangement to that behind it.